Destruction of Vongola
by Positives with Negatives
Summary: Tsuna is missing after a mission, the only clue left is his vongola ring. But he was found with amnesia by a rivaling family, one that is planning to destroy vongola. (0027 and 1827 yaoi/ character death) TYL
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note** -In this plot pretty much everything is the same, except that Enma and Tsuna haven't met yet before the first chapter

Disclaimer- I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn (Kind of wish that I did)

warning-contains yaoi (boy x boy)

Well, that was it. Enjoy, and if you could leave a review that'll be greatly appreciated.

* * *

The sky had spread itself like a giant blanket of blue, with patches of dusty white painted onto the surface. A smear of crimson peeked out from the horizon as the sun's bright orange tail slowly disappeared from sight, casting its shadows upon a row of orchards. Surrounded by emerald green, a field of plants met the eyes as a row of colors. The breeze sang softly. Everything was prepared for a heaven like background meant for happiness.

But a chain of heart breaking sobs shattered this dream.

They came from a young man. His chocolate brown hair fell over his eyes-glazed with tears. He clutched the small ring that had been dangling from his neck, his fingers were trembling, trying to suffocate the screams that kept erupting from his mouth. Yet, no matter how hard he had tried, they came, and escaped through his lips.

The reason for his sadness was quite simple. It was not a sign of mourning for the death of someone beloved. Not the silly weeping of a child who had lost his favorite toy. It was a reason not as severe as the first but not as unreasonable as the second. But it was simple enough to comprehend.

He was rejected by the person he loved. A feeling of humiliation accompanied him as he remember the way those steel blue eyes met his with such disgust. It made him wonder how foolish he was for wishing the impossibles. Sawada Tsunayoshi had expected this outcome, he knew from the moment he found these hidden feelings for his cloud. Truly he had wished and tried to believe that the end wouldn't be so bad. He was wrong-and he paid dearly for it.

Reality was much harsher than his imagination. The words were beating in his heart, they had tore it into millions of unfixable pieces. So were the words. Was he so pathetic? After years of being Vongola Decimo couldn't he take a few petty words?

The scene played over and over again in his mind. His confession wasted. Kyoya's voice. The sky painted red. Glares. And that sickening sweet smile he had forced himself to wear.

"They don't matter now." Tsuna decided. His cries died down into small inaudible whimpers. As the past was the past and someday this will be nothing more but a memory.

"Juudaime! Juudaime!" Tsuna flinched, the sound of Gokudera's voice startled him, as he tried to clumsily brush away his tears. He didn't want anyone to see him like this, he turned to greet his storm guardian.

"Y-yes, Hayato?" Tsuna said. The silver haired bomber stopped and looked at his boss. He didn't fail to notice the pink tinting the smaller male's cheeks.

"Juudaime, our mission will begin shortly in ten minutes. Please prepare, Nono had told us to get ready at our assigned location." " _that was today_." Tsuna thought. His mind wasn't in the best state for battle.

"Thank you Hayato. I'll be arriving soon. And you don't have to wait for me." He answered, knowing that the other would have stayed otherwise.

"Yes! I'll be going now Juudaime!" The bomber replied cheerfully as he left. He tossed a worried glance back at Tsuna. The small figure was carved by the fading sunset. Gokudera knew that he wasn't in the best condition to fight but this operation required everyone to participate. He shook his head and continued forward, muttering under his breath.

"The bastard must have said something." Everyone in the family knew about the Decimo's not so secret crush but kept quiet to avoid stirring trouble. But judging by Tsuna's looks the event must have been disastrous since his once vibrant gold eyes were now dull.

Tsuna stared at the sky. The cloud were now turning crimson from the approaching dawn, darkening into a shade of violet. His lips twisted into a bitter smile, taking a brief look at the garden he had planted himself. He would always be here when he was lonely or thought about home, it calmed him in a way but today it gave him an uneasy atmosphere. A feeling that crawled up his spine.

The garden itself was beautifully decorated, with large white frames as supports bending like tree branches, they seemed to be illuminated under the light. The flowers were in full bloom as his tears laid in puddle near his feet. Silently, as if mocking his misery. Tsuna sighed, a frown plastered on his face. He bit his lips. His institution had been going off all morning, shooting warning signals. His survival instinct told him one thing. One single thing in bright, bold, blinding letters.

Tsuna soften his gaze. The vongola ring held tightly in his hand as he proceed to the assigned location.

Today he was going to die.

* * *

A shower of bullets rained upon them along with a wave of endless enemies carrying their box weapons. Black smoke engulfed the field and screams of agonizing pain rang loudly in his ears. Tsuna charged, his flames left a long line of ashes behind him. The number of enemies had gone beyond his expectations and his unit had failed to regroup to launch a counterattack. Not to mention they had already fought for hours which exhausted their stamina." _Should we retreat_?" Tsuna wondered. Someone had reported that Dino's team would arrive, but were they going to make it in time?

"Juudaime!" Absorbed in his thoughts an enemy had managed to pass Tsuna's defense. Snapping out of his thoughts Tsuna turned sharply to face his opponent. The other had drawn his sword. His arms swung back, his fist clenched tightly on the handle. " _Shit!_ " It wasn't too late for Tsuna to react but the attack was made with such force that even as he blocked it the impact had only decreased by a minimum, it sent him flying.

Rapid pluses traveled downed his nerves, a throbbing sensation came from his elbow and shoulder as he felt blood steadily seeping out of his wound. There was the breaking of metal chains as he vaguely wondered if the noise had came from his ring. The last thing he heard were his guardians' voice before darkness dragged him into blissful unconsciousness.

* * *

"Hmm. . . . " His eyes fluttered open, receiving foggy glimpses from the bright light, pushing away the cool blankets Tsuna slowly got up. His hand held his head, regretting doing so when a sharp pain accompanied the action.

"Bandages?"

The room was dark, with no ray of light slipping through the cracks except the ones that were emitted from the dim lamp by his side. But he could see faint outlines of his surroundings. There were random objects littered everywhere, such as balloon, newspapers, and what seemed like small blocks no larger than the size of his palm. Before he noticed anything else the door had been opened, as white bathe the room Tsuna struggled to keep his vision focused.

A teen with red hair stood in front of him. He looked at Tsuna before opening his mouth to speak. His tone was gentle, an attempt to stop the fear from clouding Tsuna's mind.

"Hello."

". . . . . ." Silence. It took a while before Tsuna spoke back, holding the pillow in his hand, replying his own weak hello.

"H-hello."

" How are you feeling so far? It seems that you got quite an injury there." The man asked, adding an effect by pointing at Tsuna's wounds.

"A-ah! I-it's been much better. U-um, t-thank you very much."

" That's great to hear, now I would like to ask you a few questions I hope you don't mind." At that Tsuna quickly nodded his head, loosening his grip on the pillow.

"Would you tell me a bit about yourself?"

" . . . . . " He tilted his head, golden orbs locked on the man.

". . but I thought. . . " Tsuna began. His voice cracked, nervousness was obvious in his speech.

"Thought. .? " The man asked, hoping for Tsuna to continue.

" . . . thought. . .that you would be the one to tell me these things."

* * *

 **Author's note** -Cliff hanger! And yes, Tsuna has amnesia. I know that in the summary it says 1827 but that will appear _much_ later in the story. So all 0027, congratulations, there will be a of fluff on those two. If you keep reading of course, but I do hope that you'll stay with me until the story is complete.

Thanks.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: Thank you! Thank you all the reviewers, favorite-ors (is that a word?), and followers. You don't know how much they mean to me.**

 **I know that I made a few mistakes in chapter one ,but I made sure this time that chapter two is spelling and grammar checked. Once again thanks, and enjoy, a review would be much appreciated.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn

Warning: Contains light yaoi (boy x boy)

I had a review requesting for allx27, this is my reply: I'm sorry but I don't have the skills or experiences to write that yet. Maybe in the future, but right now the plot is already set in my head, all27 would change it quite a bit too. This will still be a 1827 and 0027 story.

 _"Hello"_ -thoughts

"Hello"- speech

 _Hello-_ anything that is not happen at that time. (Ex:flashbacks)

* * *

 _May, year 20xx 23:59_

"You're an idiot aren't you."

Adelheid was currently towering over Enma with her hands on her hips, menacing glare shooting bullets. The poor red hair couldn't give much response, but seemed to be trembling slightly at the direct statement, at this the girl gave a sigh but her eyes were still fixed on the male before her. She couldn't really blame him. The fellow they found had no recollection of who he was and that was that, but she was angry about the rash decision that Enma had made by bringing a stranger to their direct base. They had already applied first aid to the injuries which should have been enough. But no, Enma being the person he was, allowed him to stay even with his unknown backgrounds.

"You couldn't even get information out of him. If he was an enemy that was just tricking you, our whole plan is going to fail." Adelheid continued, it came out more as a growl.

"I told you, he's not an enemy. He doesn't know who he is and we got to take care of him before his memories come back."

"We can't. The family is at war right now, we have no time to shelter anyone."

They can't afford to fight with their hands tied to their backs in a war, especially against Vongola. It was a fact that all Mafiosos knew. Surely, Adelheid thought, Enma would know better.

"It's because we're at war now that we should save as many people as possible."

". . . . . ."

"Trust me on this. If he becomes a threat I will personally force him to leave, but let him live with us for now."

Adelheid's brows narrowed as she quickly registered the negotiation Enma had suggested, listing the pros and cons. She looked back at Shimon boss. " _He's serious_ " It took a while before she gave her answer.

"Fine, that will do. I hope that you'll keep your promise."

Her heels made loud taps as she walked away, still debating in her mind if that was the right choice. Enma stared at her retreating figure and let out a sigh of relief, his hands unknotting his tie in order to breathe easier." _When did talking to Adelheid became so dangerous?_ "

He would have to admit, she did have a point.

What was he suppose to do with an amnesia patient?

 _Flashback:_

 _"You don't remember anything?" Tsuna shook his head, fingers fumbling with the bed sheets. His body didn't support any other movement. But there was a clear indication of his discomfort, his frown grew with every question._

 _"Nothing at all?"_

 _". . . . . . "_

 _"Your name?"_

 _". . . . . ."_

 _"Your family, where your from?"_

 _". . . . . . " Hesitantly Tsuna tried to clarify his meaning._

 _"I. . I don't know. I-I woke up here and thought that this was where I belonged."_

 _Enma leaned against the wall, trying to control his frustration. The cool cement felt pleasant to his back, relaxing his muscles that tensed from accumulated stress. He closed his eyes in order to process the situation, dark circles were drawn under them marking days of unsatisfied rest._

 _A moment of dread silence passed. Tsuna was the first to speak._

 _"I'm sorry." The letters were choked out._

 _The word reached Enma's ears, making him feel guilty for making the boy apologize for errors he didn't make. He was the one that had been in a rush and ignored the other's conditions. Even the simple act of doubting was a sign of distrust and disrespect to the slender male. He observed Tsuna and saw that the brunette was on the verge of tears, perhaps out of embarrassment. Enma walked closer to him, his steps were soft to prevent harsh sounds. He wouldn't want the awkwardness between them to grow any larger._

 _"No. I should be the one who's apologizing. Let try again shall we?" He showed a modest grin, seeing the anxiety beginning to ease slightly._

 _". . O-okay . .." The grip on the blanket eventually loosened, and to return the favor Tsuna gave his signature smile. The first since their meeting._

* * *

That was what he said but no progress was made. Even after a full night of conversations he was still clueless, ignorant on every aspect of this person that had invaded his life.

"I don't even know his name." He whispered the line.

"Enma-san?"

Alarmed, he got into his defense status, gloves in hand and bright eyes burning, trying to locate the origin of the voice. It came from the end of the hall, as a familiar bush of chocolate brown hair came into view. Tsuna stood there, the previous shirt that was covered in holes and dirt was now replaced with a pristine white sleeveless top with an outline of a bunny sewed in the middle, a pair of shorts reached just below the knees, sneakers were strapped to his feet, bandages crawled up his legs and to his elbow, as he held a lantern that provided another light source, looking curiously at Enma.

Seeing that the disturbance was harmless, Enma took off his gloves. When he was done pocketing the item he notice that Tsuna was already in front of him, a worried expression on his face.

"U-um. . did I scare you?"

"Not at all, I was only a bit tired."

It seems that for the past few days he had taken a liking to Enma. Even after introducing him to the others he had never seem to leave his side. Always following him around whenever he could. It almost became a routine, when his own footsteps would be followed by another pairs.

" _Like a baby kitten following its mother._ " The thought flashed through.

Enma could feel the blood rushing to his cheeks, as he tried coughing nervously in order to ignore the thought. The summer air must be getting to him. Tsuna watched, a question mark floated above his head.

"S-so, were you looking for me?" The taller of the two asked, needing something to distract himself.

"Oh, well it was g-getting kind of late and I know t-that everyone had been working quite hard these days s-so I thought that s-since I'm staying here maybe. . m-maybe I could d-do s-something."

He stuttered throughout the whole sentence and played with the hem of his shirt, looking directly at Enma for some recognition.

"Hm. . . .I guess there is, but your injuries haven't fully healed yet, are you sure you want to?"

"O-of course!" He nodded his head eagerly, earning a chuckle from the red hair.

"You can move those right there." He motioned to a pile of cardboard boxes, likely filled miscellaneous supplies.

"We'll be leaving this place in a few weeks, so taking them to the main room would be a great help."

Before he even finish the sentence Tsuna had began lifting, starting with the one on the very top considering it was the smallest, and probably the only one he could carry. For every box he moved his speed increase, feeling confident for doing something useful. He had forgotten about Enma who stood on the side and watched as the teen shift across the room imitating a child that was completing an assigned task from his parent.

It was working fine, one was overlooking the other to make sure things were under control, until the fifth box that is.

Maybe it was too big, or too heavy for him, but when Tsuna tried to carry it. . .

". . .Uwah!"

. . . he fell, in a comical way with his head landing first. Sheets of white flew around him as the box split open like fruit, papers fluttered down like feathers. Most landed on the ground, puddling around Tsuna who was on the floor-dazed, but some landed in his hair creating a bird nest like structure.

The sound of laughter brought him back to reality, as he saw Enma holding his stomach, trying his best to stop. Tsuna blinked, then pouted at the sight, muttering under his breathe.

"You don't have to laugh."

Enma reach out his hand, a few squeaks still managed to escape.

"S-sorry, It was just that you were so serious and t-then, t-then-pfft."

"Hmph" Once Tsuna got up, he had his arms crossed, trying to glare. It was still a pout. He waited for Enma to calm down, which took quite a while, but eventually he did. After Enma had fully recovered they both stared at the mess. Random documents and files were all they could see. Clearly, neither of them wanted to clean it.

"how about we continue this tomorrow. It is late." Enma suggested.

"I guess so."

"I'll clean this, you can go on ahead."

"N-no, I was the one who cause it, I should clean it up." Tsuna chimed in.

"But I was the one that told you to move the boxes, therefore I'm the one responsible."

"I was still the one actually did it, s-so I' responsible."

"No. I am"

"No. Y-you're not.

"I am.

"You're not." He sighed. Why was he so stubborn on trivial matters like this?

"Fine, we'll do this together, happy?"

"Yes! I-I'll clean this side then." Tsuna replied happily, gathering the papers near him. Enma raised a brow, picking up a few sheets, eyes locked on the person next to him " _What a strange one._ " He didn't expect that anyone would be so glad to lose about two hours of valuable sleep.

Despite his thought. Enma couldn't help but smile when he saw the male scrambling to sort similar documents.

Truly, he believed that a wonderful person had entered his life.

* * *

The moon took the form of a scythe as it watched over the vast terrain, along with broken stars that danced by its side. The air was unusually cool for summer. The wind howled as it brushed harshly against the fabric of an ebony black suit. The river roared as brush strokes of blood was painted on its surface, on land a gray suit with orange stripes had been torn to pieces, filled with flint. The man's steel blue eyes scanned the clothings as he tried to convince himself that they hadn't belong anyone he knew, but he couldn't denied the truth any further when he detected a glint of silver, radiated by a ring. The sole object that proved the inheritance of the Vongola family.

He handled it by its chain. As he clenched the ring in his palm, feeling the cold touch his flesh.

"Tsunayoshi. . ."

He had found their first clue to their boss.

There were no traces left as he disappeared into the shadow of the night.

* * *

 **Author's note: Okay! That's the end for chapter two. I like it so far, except for all the seriousness considering that I write mainly fluffs and other random things, oh well.**

 **TO READERS: The next chapter is going to be fluff oriented, 0027 oriented.**

 **(I realized while looking over my drafts that the 1827 story featured here is going be very bitter sweet and sad, so will the 0027. Guess I just have to write as much fluff as possible.)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: Yay! I'm finally done with chapter 3! It might take a while for me to update the next chapter though, school finals are coming up.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo hitman Reborn

Warning:contains light yaoi(boy x boy)

There might be mistakes in here, if you find any please tell me. Thanks and enjoy.

* * *

 _December, year 20xx 04:17_

 _It was odd. He felt weightless, engulfed by luke warm water, his vision was blocked by obscured darkness. There was a burning flame in the distant, carrying colors that mingled and blended, shining so lively, beckoning him to come closer._

 _It was quiet, with no other sound than the crackling fire. Someone was calling him. He was sure of it._

 _He walked toward it, and slowly he extended his arms, touching the tip of the flame. It flickered for a split second. Then an explosion of light took over, changing the scene from nothing to a field of green that ran for miles. A man stood just a couple feets away, he was facing the opposite direction, the tail of his shirt fluttered in the breeze._

 _"Who was it?" That jet black hair, that stance he had seen so many times and admired. How could he forget such important thing? He needed to know, to remember._

 _The ground cracked as darkness began eating the image, swallowing everything in it's way. The view was fading. The man was being erased, turning into dust._

 _"Wait!" His attempt to grab onto the remains were futile, the world slipped through his fingers, signaling the end of this reunion._

 _There was a hum in the background._

 _A name had been said._

 _It turn into a scream._

His eyes shot open. Tsuna was soaked in his own sweat, his pyjamas stuck to his skin. Hot breaths of air met his face, taking greedy shares of oxygen to fill his lungs as he looked left and right at his surroundings. He drew his knees to his body, seeking for some sort of comfort. Crystal tears slid down his cheeks. He didn't even realize that he was crying.

He remembered it, his name. The simple word made all the differences. From a blank existence that held no worth to a being with a past, with memories to cherish.

It told him that he was alive. And that alone was enough for him.

After calming down a bit, he hopped off the bed, shivering when his bare foot came in contact with the freezing floor. but paid no mind to his numbed feet as he ran down the grand hall to announce his new discovery. Outside the window, snowflakes fluttered in bundles approaching the dark, half baked earth, painting exposed lands white. Frost accumulated on the ground which soon created a sheet of ice that covered the path to the miniature mansion they were living in.

Tsuna knocked harshly on the iron doors, his knuckles against its firm surface, enjoying the fragments of pain.

"Come in. . ." A lazy voice answered, the owner still far from awake. With the permission granted Tsuna flunged the doors open, scaring the male on the bed whose whole body turned rigid at the noise, he climbed onto the furniture that Enma had been resting on, and continued his declaration.

"Enma! Enma!" He was practically shouting in the other's ears, having their faces only inches apart.

"Urghh. . what is it Fiume*?. . ." The red hair asked groggily, pulling the thick blanket over his head, wrapping himself in a cocoon. Mentally, he wondered if the brunette had drank too much coffee.

"I remember it! My real name, it's Tsuna, Tsuna!" The grin on his face must have been huge, because it was starting to hurt. In a good way,Tsuna noted.

". . . . ."

His brows knitted into one piece upon seeing the lack of excitement, to express his discontent he forcefully pulled the duvets down from above Enma's head, beneath the blanket he could see a stupid grin that could almost match his own, present on the man's face, proving that he wasn't the only merry one.

"Congratulations. . .but I still like Fiume*, it suits you better, that name." He teased slightly, but meant no harm.

"Get use to it, I really like the name Tsuna, so I'll keep it." He sat on his legs and crossed his arms, leaning down to say his remark.

"Fine, fine, Tsuna, got it." Enma replied, waving his hands playfully. Tsuna smiled.

Enma alway knew what he wanted, it was for that reason he chose to announce to him this very important information first.

Then it dawned on him, the past self-assurance was gone.

Wasn't it only four o'clock in the morning?

Suddenly he wasn't so sure what to do anymore. Should he apologize? He did randomly barge into someone else's room and without a word, shook the fellow awake so he could tell him his name. "But it was for an appropriate reason, right?" Enma was his best friend, his hiding place, where he kept all his secrets and wishes, he made him feel at peace, it was how home should feel, never having to worry about betrayal, it was only natural for Tsuna to instinctively rely on him.

His rambling thoughts were rudely interrupted when an arm roughly pulled him forward, landing in the taller male's chest, causing Tsuna's face to be lit like a christmas light, a burning wildfire was spreading through his cheeks.

"E-enma, w-w-what are y-you doing?!" He exclaimed, squirming in the strong grip.

"It cold. You'll get sick." Enma stated quite matter-of-factly, thinking his action as the product of a good will.

Winter was a season viruses and diseases took advantages of, inflicting poor victims with coughs, dry throats and all types of discomforts, contradicting the bright and festive atmosphere of the holidays with suffering people who empty their wallets for medicine.

But it hadn't convince Tsuna to be a valid excuse for sleeping with his proclaimed best friend, even if they were exceptionally close.

"U-u-um. . " Enma had already fallen into deep slumber, oblivious to the protest being leaked into the room by the boy he held in an embrace. After a few minutes of useless struggle, he signed and gave in, staring at the other's serene expression.

They were about the same height and weighed just as much. Boney edges peeked from his flesh, protected by an extra layer of clothes, he was pale skinned, strands of ruby hair fell over his eyes, the rhythm of his thumping heart was all that Tsuna could hear. It was soothing, lulling him into the land of dreams.

They laid there, just blankets, printed pyjamas, and a combined scent of cherries and caramel.

* * *

"So your name's Tsuna huh, sounds like some kind of fish." Koyo muttered, shovel in hand.

"Aoba-san, I think you meant tuna."

"Leave him be Tsuna-chan, he's just an idiot." Julie added the insult.

There were five of them in total, on duty for clearing the main entrance

Enma was excluded because he was the head of the family and wasn't fit to do chores, besides he had more urgent matters to attend to, like paperwork, mountains and mountains of them. He was dragged promptly to his office after breakfast by a certain ice flame user.

Shitt.p was excluded because they couldn't find her. The girl was probably off somewhere doing her morning exercises in her automobile or some other alien task that only God knew.

Adelheid was not there, it was easy to guess why. No one the nerves or authority to give her orders. They liked being alive, thank you very much.

The leftovers of the selection included Rauji, Kaoru, and Tsuna who volunteered, along with Julie and Koyo. The duo had been lounging and taking up space, their bickering over a slice toast was starting to get annoying.

The storm had produced an impressive amount of precipitation, but served as no obstacle for the group of youths. Within a short period of time only patches of snow was left.

" A name is a very crucial thing to a person. It's pride, ours is Shimon. We could never abandon it. I'm glad that you remember." Rauji mentioned, digging at a pile.

"Yeah, I agree. When I did get it I was a bit overwhelmed." Tsuna said, sprinkling some salt.

"There was a fluffy feeling in my stomach, and I wanted to smile-a lot. It was like I ate too much candy. I'm not sure if that's how your suppose to feel but. . ." He looked at them.

"It was like I met a family, like when I'm with you guys."

". . . . . . "

All of a sudden they were huddled around him, some was ruffling his hair, and some patted his back. Someone even placed their hand over Tsuna's forehead to check if he had a fever.

"Aww, you're going to give me cavities!"

"You must really like us."

"We understand you, man."

"What's gotten into you? Are you sure you're not sick?"

"Mou! Quit it, my hair is going to get messy!" Tsuna shouted, swatting the hands that crowded around him.

The earth flame users all laughed wholeheartedly at the comment.

* * *

"Geez, I told them it was going to get messy"

He was currently finger combing his tangled hair, walking around the base to search for a brush he could use. Cowlicks and brown locks were everywhere, making the task harder to accomplish. He was heading to the living room, which was also the kitchen, dining room, and meeting room, with a full set of equipment for daily needs. He was positive that if some device could tame his hair, it would be in there, hidden behind the floor tile or counter.

After reaching his destination he took time to brush excess water off his pants, pieces of frozen solids were dumped from his hoodie. He was about to enter, but paused with his hand on the door knob.

"He has to leave." Someone had said. " _Adelheid?_ " Tsuna wondered.

He pressed his ear against the wooden surface and concentrated.

"Can't he stay for a few more months? He's not posing a threat." It was Enma's voice this time, filled with concern.

" I know Enma, with the time we spend together I know that he's a good person, but. . . we're going to initiate our plan as soon as the year starts. He can't stay longer than that, if, if the Vongola finds him-they won't care if he's a civilian. He'll die because of us." It was strange to hear the girl so nervous. He could imagine her usual expressionless face twisting into one with fear.

"Fine."

"Eh?" She questioned with a bit of shock. She hadn't expect Enma to accept the proposal without an argument.

"His safety is a priority. If that's what takes to protect him, we'll let him go."

Tsuna leaned back, stepping away from the door. A slab of grief stuck to him as he left. His rumpled hair was long forgotten.

* * *

"Here."

Adelheid gave him a dusty bag. It was a considerable size, stocked with necessities that would last for days. An extra coat, a few rolls of bread, bottles of water, loose change, and a train ticket that would determine his next home. He tooked it out of the bag and stared at the crinkled piece of paper.

" There's a station about four miles south, go past the forest and you'll find it." His eyes didn't leave the paper.

"It snowed today so our enemies shouldn't be able to track you. It's a great opportunity. I'm sorry I couldn't get the others to come, but they will definitely put up a fight if I told them the truth." She fell silent after that line, studying the male in front of her.

"Good luck." Tsuna glanced at her. At her charcoal hair, her face-sick with worry. He found it funny that he thought she was scary. He wanted to stay with her, with the family, even their ridiculous commotions from before seem like music now.

 _Who knows when they'll meet again._

"Good bye." Her shoulders fell.

On the second floor, crimson eyes landed on the petite figure. The curtains were closed as rapid footsteps rushed down the stairs.

Tsuna stared aimlessly at the sky, he had walked about a mile already. Lines of gray were close behind him. A ginormous rock laid under the shade of an evergreen tree, he decided to make it his resting spot. The sky was so blank that day, drained of it's brilliant blue and stained with a depressing violet. There were no clouds.

"Where am I suppose to go now?" He asked to no one in particular. A feeling of loneliness invaded his being, starting from the inside out.

" _Rustle. Rustle._ "

"Rustle?" He looked around, finding a suspicious bush, shaking in a way bushes weren't suppose to shake. There were branches sticking out, the leaves on them were still green and lovely flowers bloomed in the middle of the bunch, which was dead obvious as strange in winter. It was moving toward him in steady increments.

"Huh?" Tsuna jumped off the rock and tip toed to this bizarre object, a tin box held tightly in his hand-his weapon, so he called it. He was sweating bullets by the time he was close enough to have his shadow loom over the plant. Ever so slowly, he raised the box, and began clobbering peculiar weed.

"Hey, w-wait, hey stop it.S-stop it!"

". . . . . " He blinked, recognizing the familiar voice.

" . . . .Enma?"

His head popped out of the center of the plant, small cuts could be seen on his face, likely caused by the Tsuna's previous 'attacks'. There were no questions asked as he got out of his disguise, once he did he focused his attention on the male, straightening his dirtied attire.

"Um. . .I know that you're leaving but. . . Shitt.p is going to miss you. W-we really need someone to help keep Julie and Koyo under control. And Kaoru appreciates your conversations with him, R-rauji thinks of you like his brother, even A-adelheid's cooking is better when you're around.. um. . " He averted his gaze, unable to look at the boy in the eye.

Tsuna took a moment to take in what his friend had said.

"So. . ." Tsuna hesitated before continuing.

". . you want me to stay?" He purposely emphasized the 'you' part.

Enma could feel his face heating up. He mumbled his reply.

"Of course I don't want you to leave."

The words reached Tsuna's ears. He showed a genuine smile, almost sparkling in the sun's rays, holding Enma's hands.

"If that's how you feel. Then I won't leave, Enma." He tugged gently on his fingers, a body language that told Enma not to sulk. The next question asked though, made Tsuna burn.

"Can I hug you?" Enma was no longer looking away. Chocolate brown met scarlet. Tsuna's face was beet red, and could rival a ripe tomato." _When was Enma so blunt?!_ " Being around him was hazardous for his heart, regardless he nodded timidly, shutting his eyes he braced himself for the impact.

The two teens landed in the snow with a 'thud'.

Enma nuzzled Tsuna's neck, enjoying the unique caramel vanilla fragrance that enveloped him. The brunette was so warm.

He loved the way Tsuna fits perfectly his arms.

Enma didn't ever want to let him go.

* * *

 **Author's note: Okay! The next chapter is going to focus on Hibari's side of the story. I'm looking forward to writing it.**

*Fiume means river in Italian( I think. If I'm wrong blame google translate) I chose this to be Tsuna's temporary name in honor of him being found by a river. It only appears in the story once so it's no big deal.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note- Thank you very much for the follows and favorite! This chapter came out a bit slow ( sorry about that ). It took some time to rearrange my thoughts after my finals, so I got kind of lazy. The quality of the writing certainly went down a bit, but at least I wrote more this time, but I guess quantity for quality isn't really a good idea. There's probably going to be OOC-ness in the characters, I'm still not good at writing them.**

Disclaimer- I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn

Warning- contains light yaoi (boy x boy)

"Hello."-speech

" _Hello._ "- thoughts or flashbacks

Well, then, enjoy! A review would be wonderful.

* * *

 _December, year 20xx 00:01_

 _Vongola HQ-mansion_

 _The tenth Vongola boss had been missing for seven months._

 _The higher officers and guardians kept this secret sealed, only allowing the news to circulated through a few individuals, knowing full well that it would cause panic to arise. But Vongola itself had not been left unscratched, without the man that single handedly secured it in place. It shatter. Completely and deliberately. Tainted with blood, falling back into the depths of corruption. It had been committing sins and destroying lives since the day of its formation, losing all hope to redeem itself. This generation was thought to be the same. No one thought that there would be a boss that would lend his hand to the unfortunates. No one thought that there would be a boss that would punish the criminals and restore justice to their pernicious world. No one thought that the very boss they wanted to protect was protecting them instead._

 _They certainly didn't think that they would be so broken without him, to become so desperate, driven on the remains of mere memories._

 _Fate was cruel, to give them their savior, only to steal him away._

" Here's the report you wanted Reborn." Dino said as he handed a file to the fedora wearing man, who wordlessly took it. He flipped through a few pages and scanned the content. The walls were undecorated and and his window was closed shut, light illuminated the snow.

"So," The Cavallone boss began. " Are things getting any better?" He didn't specifies what he meant, Reborn should know. He alway knew.

The sounds of crinkled paper was the only interruption that came between them. Reborn didn't spare a glance at the male in front of him, acting as if the male was transparent, but Dino did otherwise as he closely inspected Reborn's appearance. As if it was the first time that it hit him, that an image of a handsome youth had replaced the baby form. That suit and those signature sideburns were the few physical resemblance left.

It took some time before a response was given.

"Not really, but that's not the issue you should be focusing on." Reborn finally said, taking a sip of his espresso. Dino laughed, it came out a bit strained.

"Sorry. . . I just can't help but worry, especially with the rumors and commotion." He looked at his former tutor.

"It's just," His hazel eyes fell."They say that Tsuna's dead."

". . . . . ."

"It's useless to rely on information that."

Dino noticed the way Reborn's posture stiffened, his body froze as if he was trying to contain an outburst, and the shortest pause before he reached for his pen located on the far right corner of his desk. All in the span of a split second. He twirled the writing utensil around his finger then directed his gaze back to Dino.

"Aside from that matter, shall we start the official business?" Reborn raised his head, causing Leon to shift his position on the hat. The green lizard slid around the oval shaped surface as he made himself comfortable.

"Of course."

"According to Hibari's clue. You found a wooden cottage near the river?"

"Yes."

"And it seems abandoned."

"Correct."

Dino pictured the structure buried in snow, particles shifted as he pushed the door open. Long shadows were laid on the floor as he and his men entered the building. A thin layer of chalk gray covered most things.

"By estimate, you suppose that they left four or five months ago?"

A nod.

Reborn leaned back in his chair, silently pulling the pieces of information together. Tsuna went missing when he was on a mission in May, judging from the reports he was attacked by an enemy and fell into a river. He was then taken further down by the current, and from the location where the ring was found it didn't seem likely that he traveled far. Supposedly, he had severe injuries and someone else took him in.

" _But then why hasn't he returned yet?_ " If he regained his consciousness, then with no doubt Tsuna's first move would be to unite with the family.

Reborn tapped his pen against the table. By the third tap the clues clicked. He reached for his coffee and took a long sip, ending with a sigh.

"Have you figured it out, Reborn?"

"Just about. But there are still something's missing. For example-"

" _Beep- Beep-_ "

The sound came from the rectangular device that had been resting near the arcobaleno's hand, Reborn didn't recognize the number. The vibration stopped instantly when he picked up the phone.

" _Ciao?_ " ( _Hello_ )

"-" Reborn's eyes narrowed. He scowled.

"T _u chi sei?_ " ( _Who are you_ )

"-"

". . . . "

Their conversation lasted for ten minutes. At the end of it there was a dangerous gleam that flashed through those obsidian orbs. Sharp, like a predators.

" Dino." His voice was cold, slicing the air like a gust of arctic wind. Dino flinched, surprised by the commanding tone but kept his composure.

"Yes Reborn?"

"Summon all the guardians, we're going to talk."

Dino could only nodded. He proceeded toward the exit, looking back at the figure behind him as he locked the door with a gentle click. The expression Reborn had gave him chills. His hands were shaking as he rolled them into fists.

* * *

Hibird flew in circles overhead, chirping the famous Namimori anthem that her master loved so much. Hibari Kyoya was on the roof top laying on his back. He stared at the white sky, clenching the ring in his pocket. It was left in his care, since he had been the one to find it, and the Nono decided that it was for the best to stay with him-being the strongest out of the pack. He jiggled the ring by the chain, briefly admiring the details of theornament.

His words from that day resurfaced in his mind. And Hibari didn't bother to push them aside.

 _" I will never love someone like you."_

 _Tsuna looked at him. His round caramel eyes were not bright like they were used to, but damp and widening in confusion like a deer caught in headlights. His slender frame sunk as he held a firm grip onto the hem of his shirt._

 _"What you think does not matter to me. And I have no time to cooperate along your fantasies." he had said with an almost irritated huff. It made an invisible blow on the brunette. The words landed a more heavily they were planned._

 _" Besides, for a man to love another man. . . . " He remembered directing this sentence to Tsunayoshi. How his throat was parched and the letters turned into dust, his mind telling him to stop. But he forced them out._

 _" it's just wrong."_

 _There was a silent pause. Tears filled Tsuna's eyes as he looked away. He covered his mouth when his breath hitched, Hibari's gaze followed every gesture._

 _"I-is that so. I thought you might say that, ha ha." His head was still down._

 _"I just wanted to tell you this before the mission. I mean I felt this way for so long and. . . . sorry for making you listen to my babbling. . . " So quiet, barely above whisper._

 _" Just sorry, don't worry about what I said before. I be fine." He was fidgeting with his feet._

 _When Tsuna raised his head an impure smile was printed on his face. The small body was trying not to tremble, to hold in the noise._

 _Out of instinct, Hibari reached to touch the brunette, but his arms fell lifelessly to his sides. **Comfort him.** His mind told him. **He needs you, go on, hold him, hug him. You love this person don't you?** He looked at the feminine frame, at the distance drawn between them, the steps needed to touch the brunette's skin._

 _But he did not close that gap. And left without seeing the tear streaked face._

 _When he had walked far enough out of Tsuna's sight, he stood with his back to the trunk of a tall oak, reviewing his actions, basked in the sound of the other's sobs and yells. He slumped onto the tree as he tightened his grip on his tonfas._

 _Reality collapsed on him. The damage was done._

"Kyo-san, I was informed that there would be a meeting with the guardians scheduled this afternoon." Kusakabe was standing near the entrance of the cramp hallway that lead to the lower floors of the mansion. He wore his usual plain suit and as he approached the Vongola cloud guardian he surpassed a shiver. Even his hair had flakes of snow on it, the clothes were useless in keeping him warm.

Hibari rosed from his position. Hibird landed on his left shoulder, ruffling her feathers.

"Hm. . . " He had his hands in his pockets, eyes still locked on the star filled sky. Kusakabe-used to this kind of treatment, continued.

" Dino-san said it was urgent. It will take place in block-C 3." He left quietly afterwards, the sound of his shoes muffled by the snow.

The sky was an ashy shade of gray with littered stars. Snow was still falling but not as hard as before, instead-steadily as if pulled forward by a gentle tug of the wind. Hot puffs of air escaped and floated upward like tiny ghosts. In his ebony black suit Hibari Kyoya watching a pile of crystals form on the palm of the hand he held out. The image of a crying brunette fresh in his mind.

He grit his teeth. Another memory came to him. It wasn't better than the first.

 _"Tsuna! What happened?!"_

 _There was a louch crash, telling Hibari that Yamamoto Takeshi had dropped his cup while rushing toward the door. He heard the other herbivores stop their activities and head in the same direction the rain guardian had gone with shouts of panic and worry. Hibari, who was perched on the window sill in the corner of the room decided to see what all the fuss had been about. He thought it might have been another ridiculous joke of theirs, like when Gokudera Hayato mimicked the pineapple bastard's hair style and ended up dragging everyone into the fight, or when Sasagawa Ryohei went on about the new boxing gloves he saw downtown in an unnecessarily booming voice, at midnight._

 _He prepared to bite them all to death._

 _When he turned around though, he felt his heart sink. Shreds of glass was on the floor surrounded by puddles of water, all the guardians were crowded by the door. In the middle of their irregular circle was the young Vongola tenth. His chocolate brown hair caked with mud and sagging with rain drops on the tips of the spikes. His clothes torn and ripped, drenched in crimson. It took a moment for Hibari to realized what the red substance was._

 _Tsuna's arms limped and he dragged his feet to enter. His whole body was covered in blood._

 _The source of the bleeding wasn't obvious, from where Hibari was anyways. And there didn't seem to be any major injuries except the bruises on his face and the three scratches on his knee. The other herbivores didn't notice, absorbed in their frantic chatterings._

 _"It's not my blood." Tsuna's squeaking voice made an end to the noise. The room went silent with only the pounding of the rain._

 _"Then who's-" Gokudera didn't get to finish his question as Tsuna cut him off sharply._

 _" The Dereclan's, they tricked us." The Dereclan family was a group that joined the alliance only a few months ago. They were able to maintain a fairly well relation with the Vongola. Their boss Lucio, insisted on meeting Decimo face to face, out of respect Tsuna agreed. All the other officers felt reluctant to this request and approached with caution. The location was assigned by the Dereclan family, and providing full protection would be difficult. It was suicide going against the Vongola-that was common sense, but there were always people that believed that they had a chance beating the top dogs of the mafia world. But only a few have even a feeble chance to defeat them, the rest were fools. Fools that thought that they were charging at their enemies, but in truth-they were charging toward death._

 _" A gunshot went off, one of our men died and they started to attack. We had no choice but to fight." The plan was obvious, to lure Decimo then kill him. He should have been an easy target. The flaw was that they spent excess attention on his guards rather than focusing on the leader of such a powerful family. They assumed, with stupidly, that he was incompetent._

 _"We got through with light injuries. At the gate we saw Lucio. He didn't seem to be taking this too well. I guess he didn't expect his family to be defeated that quickly. I tried to calm him down but he wouldn't listen then-" Tsuna gulped._

 _"he charged. Before I knew what I've done he was on the ground." His voice that was already soft dropped even lower until it was barely audible. No one said a word as they waited for him to finish. From the frowns on their faces it seemed as if they knew what had happen without Tsuna spelling it out for them. Tsuna's weapons that day weren't gloves. They were being modified by Gianini and Spanner. What he used in substitution were short edged daggers_

 _" I killed him."_

 _The downpour outside magnified and they heard the roof creak and the chandelier swung dangerously above their as the window burst open, a gust of wind flooded . The three words were muted._

 _Chrome stepped forward. She held Tsuna's arm and brought him to a chair, carefully examining his wounds._

 _" Sasagawa-san, will you call Shamal for us, boss has to see him right now."_

 _Ryohei blinked, as if broken by a spell. He hurried his reply then rushed out of the room._

 _"OF COURSE. I'LL EXTREMELY GET THE OLD MAN HERE! RIGHT AWAY!"_

 _The rest of the guardians snapped out of their trance, too, after Ryohei left. Everything stopped when the brunette spoke, now the play button was clicked again._

 _The guardians each scrambled to do what they could, Yamamoto was going to the back kitchen to get a cup of tea, Gokudera was taking some bandages out of the first aid kit, Mukuro was patrolling to make sure that no one would disturb them. Lambo was helping Chrome tend the cuts._

 _Hibari stayed where he was._

 _Something was bubbling inside him, fueled with anger. It was something he couldn't understand. Tsunayoshi was the one who won right? Against a pathetic herbivore that challenged him. " So then. . . why?" He looked at Tsuna's state, lifeless and tattered, like a doll. It was nothing like the Tsuna he knew._

 _Killing an opponent was common in battle, to let the strong secure their rightful place in the food chain. To feel blood splatter on his shirt, to hear bones snapping, to fill the air with screams, and to feel his enemies' pulse weaken gradually and their last attempt to fight before death consumes them. Those things were like breathing to him. Hibari Kyoya didn't feel pity for those people when he steps out of the battlefield, piles of bodies stacked on top of each other. But there was sometimes an urge, to go back into what others might consider hell. To see his enemies scrambling to get away._

 _There was satisfaction when he catches one._

 _He enjoyed taking those lives away._

 _Didn't these feelings apply to Tsunayoshi? He wasn't a weakling, Hibari knew from experience. Tsunayoshi was a lion that refused to hunt._

 _In the next few days Tsuna wasn't any better. He didn't speak to anyone and locked himself in his room. Only the doctors, Nono, and the guardians were allowed in. On rare occasions when Hibari visited him, Tsuna's symptoms didn't improve. His plate was untouched and he would be found staring blankly at the walls, not a peep. The days turned into weeks, Hibari would convince himself that Tsuna would be healed soon. And that cheerful smile would return on his face, the one he loved so much to see, because it belonged only to the brunette._

 _But there was no luck, and those tiny pieces of hope were replaced with intense worry. At dawn he would peer into the drawn windows of Tsuna's room from a nearby tree, as if he could see through the curtains, he would murmur his thoughts under the tree about how his day went, about what hibird did, but at the end of his speech he would always say the same thing before he disappears._

 _"Get well, Tsunayoshi."_

 _He said them even though he knew that Tsuna wouldn't hear him.._

 _After a month it was decided that Mukuro and Chrome would permanently erase the event from his memories. Since it was the root of his depression, extracting it should cure his odd depression. It wasn't easy, temporary removal of memories and illusions to fill those gaps were basics, but for those illusions to last a lifetime it took them a great amount of time and energy._

 _They stayed up for two consecutive nights-It worked. Tsuna was back laughing and talking happily with everyone. He could play along with Reborn's torturous training, handle the arguments between Gokudera and Yamamoto, and complain about the paper works, exactly like he was before. It was as if the nightmare from a few days ago never occurred. Everyone in the family were all taken with relief, without a second thought about the incident. But the growing fear in the Skylark's heart didn't cease._

 _"What if it did happen again?"_

 _The percentage was extraordinarily low, but it wasn't impossible. The question would hover over him, haunting him. They bombarded his mind and he couldn't shake them off. " What if something triggers the memory and Tsunayoshi remembers?" He couldn't allow it to replay over. So while the officers celebrated with Tsuna, Hibari kept himself away in the shadow. Afraid to approach him, to touch him with his tainted hands, afraid that he might wipe away that smile. It was unlike him to be scared of such a petty thing, but to have the Tsunayoshi he knew taken from him tipped the balance._

 _Deep inside him, there was a lingering thought. Would Tsunayoshi despise him if the brunette discovered that he-Hibari Kyoya was everything the male loathed? More than his pride, he couldn't lose the boy._

 _He was much more to him._

 _So like a coward, unwilling to risk the potentials, Hibari Kyoya strayed from Tsuna's path._

Hibird nibbled his fingers affectionately. Hibari soothed her wings and the yellow puff darted into the sky. The staircases creaked as he went down the dim hall. As much as he would like to stay to examine the ring more closely. He had a meeting to attend, and his instinct told him that it was best not to skip this one.

* * *

It was a circular room, with a long table that ran from one end to the other. Dozens of black chair were aligned at the sides. In the corner was a sofa in a welcoming orange that didn't seem to fit in with the rest.

No one sat. These months have diminished the guardian's unity, and they went their separate ways.

Gokudera was on the right side of the window, a cigarette it in his mouth. A wave of smoke fumed around him. Smoking was a habit that returned to him. Tsuna had encouraged him to quit in concerned for the bomber's health, which became the driven force of motivation. Gokudera had cut down his intake by nearly ninety percent before Tsuna went missing, but tossed all the regards when the family announced that Tsuna's search was postponed. He needed the cigars to calm his nerves, but it ruined his temper. He picks fights with anyone that commented his behavior, and as long as his opponent was breathing, with enough effort on his part-the fight would last for hours.

Yamamoto was on the left side of the window. His smile faded, in its replacement was a frown. The carefree air he carried was gone. He had stayed out of trouble for the most part. The only real problem was when he joined Gokudera in causing a riot. He, too, wasn't content on Tsuna's search being postponed and went into a kind of rage that no one expected. The rain was suppose to calm and wash away uncleanness, but he lost the ability without the sky.

Mukuro and Chrome was in the corner of the room, mismatched eyes studying the guardians. Mukuro had isolated himself. Most of the family was wary of him, some suggested to let the Vindice recapture him, causing him to be mistrustful toward the Vongola once more. He went back to Kokuyo land, taking Chrome with him. They thought that at least Chrome would stay, but the girl would reply in the same manner each time they tried to persuade her."I will only follow orders from Boss." Ken or Chikusa delivered their messages.

Lambo was leaning against the sofa, eyes downcast. I-pin and Fuuta would visit him practically every day with sweet and his favorite grape gumballs, but those items couldn't cheer him up. He wanted his onii-chan back, but no one fulfilled that wish.

Ryohei was by the door. He was quiet, no 'extremes', and shout came from him. He would daze sometimes, lost in thoughts. Self-guilt trapped him and he blamed himself for letting the brunette out of his sight. He was right there, he could have rescued Tsuna before he was attacked. Even as he envision the day happening in a different way, when he opened his eyes the fact that Tsuna was gone would slap him hard him in the face.

Dino shook his head.

The state they were in wad pitiful. He wanted to say to them that Tsuna would have much rather see them move on, focus the task on hand, and enjoy their lives, not caught up in an accident that couldn't be prevented. But he couldn't bring himself to say these things when they're so dejected. The one person that didn't seem affected was Kyoya. If he didn't know better, Dino would have assumed that the cloud guardian didn't care. But from the increase in the numbers of victims bitten to death and the blood lust he emitted when he heard the news, it was a clear indication that although he is strong on the surface. He was probably holding back his feeling to leave the mansion and find Tsuna alone.

Reborn stepped into the room. The atmosphere tensed. He found a spot at the end of the table, next to a leather armchair.

" As you're all summoned here I expect you to know that what I'm going to tell you is urgent, and is no laughing matter to brush aside like you usually do." He glared at Hibari, who simply glared back. Reborn then glanced at Mukuro, who pretended not to notice the eye contact.

" We have been fighting a war that has dragged on for far too long. During the course of the war, we lost our boss-Sawada Tsunayoshi." At those word the guardians stiffened. Yamamoto's frown deepened, Mukuro and Chrome sunk into the corners they were at, Gokudera glared at the ceiling. Lambo averted his eyes and kept them on the ground, Ryohei didn't move. Dino saw Hibari holding his tonfas steady, with force hard enough to draw blood.

Reborn didn't seem to notice, if he did, he hid his reactions well.

"The Vongola familia searched for nearly six months, but we have to focus our attention on the war. That's the priority at the moment, and the search is postponed until we win." In strength, weapons, artillery, and numbers of men, Vongola was by far superior. But the unknown family that they were up against were motile and changed their location frequently. It made them difficult to pinpoint, and their army were scatter and attacked smaller units unexpectedly. When help would arrive at the battlefield, they would have retreated, with this kind of strategy they slipped through their grasp again and again.

" But we have found their next target. A traitor on the enemy side tipped us off. This war won't last much longer." Dino jerked his head toward Reborn. " Was this what they were talking about on the phone? "

" How do you know that it's not a trick? They could be trying to delay time." Yamamoto asked. Reborn looked at him.

" I'm sure. No one knows that Tsuna's missing besides the guardian's and a few significant people. So delaying time can be ruled out. They're joining our side to live. There's benefits, and I'll explain how we'll check if they're tricking us. No need to mind. "

Reborn adjusted his fedora after he finished answering.

" I've made two conditions with them. The first is that they must send accurate personal information of their family, once that's verified, we can start to work with them."

"So we're holding them hostage." Dino thought. Even if the family goes back to their enemy's side they won't have anywhere to run. By establishing this condition, Vongola gains control and authority.

"Second, we-Vongola will decide who is sent in cooperation. Mukuro. Chrome." He looked at the two mist guardians.

"You two will map out their base and figure out if their trustworthy. If they're not, get all the information that you can. You are given permission to use resort to use any methods of your choice."

"Oya, it seems that you planned this out thoroughly Arcobaleno." Mukuro said His red eyes shining mischievously. Chrome nodded, she gripped her trident.

"Next I would like to send-"

"I'll go."

Everyone turned to see who had spoken, and to their surprise it was Hibari Kyoya. He had his raised slightly as he volunteered. Reborn stared at him, in half disbelief. Hibari was determined, and he wasn't going to take 'no ' for an answer. Reborn had the feeling that the skylark would go either way, by car, by train, he'll walk all the way if he had to." _Well, he was the original candidate._ " Clearing his throat, Reborn started again.

"Next we'll have Hibari. He will keep a watch on them. That is all. Objections?" There was no reply, a sort of grunt came from Gokudera but Reborn ignored it.

"Then." A dangerous glint flashed through Reborn's obsidian eyes.

"You're dismissed."

* * *

"W-wait! Please w-wait!" Chrome ran to the end of the corridor, where Hibari stood. He paused for the girl to catch up. Chrome got to his side and clutched the end of her suit. Her violet hair now reached past her shoulder. It fell over her eyes. The pineapple hairstyle she had in middle school was gone but she continued to wear her skull eye patch. It felt more comfortable wearing it, he remember her telling Tsuna with a shy smile.

" It's rare for you to speak in meeting. You must really want the war to end as soon as possible, right?" She tilt her head and looked around. The corridor was deserted, the lights on the walls flickered every often or so.

"So you can find Tsuna. You've always avoided him after the incident with Lucio. He misses you a lot you know." She muttered the last sentence.

" I hope that the war's over soon. You guys can finally make up."

" I merely wanted to bite them to death. " He said coldly. Chrome blinked, then smiled.

" Stubborn aren't you. Well, as long as you know yourself. I won't interfere, it's late now. I guess I'll see you in the future." She bowed politely and turned in the opposite direction. Half way down the corridor she turned around.

" Good luck."

" _Good luck._ "

Hibari smirked. He didn't need to be told. The girl could see through him like a glass jar. In a way he was glad that Tsunayoshi lacked some of the qualities their female mist guardian possessed. Or else he might have been ashamed of having Tsuna know this cowardly side of him. Not that it matters. He always chased after what he wanted. It was just what the cloud does. Hibari went back to his office, a new thought in mind.

" _It was time to bring his Tsunayoshi back._ "

* * *

 **Author's note- Okay, so to answer the confusion some of you may have on the 'abandoned wooden cottage' written in the report Dino handed in, I'll explain it. In this story I wanted the Shimon family's base to be underground like the one for the Vongola family in the future arc. That's why Dino didn't find any evidence, because no one was living inside the cottage but beneath it. In this chapter, in relation to the previous one, the Shimon family already moved to another area, so when I wrote- ' a miniature mansion' they were already in a new base.**

 **I'll explain the rest in the next few chapters, it's kind of complicated. I think that understanding how everything fits together in the story is important, or else the word choice wouldn't make sense. But I would have liked to know how things happened when I read something, or else I'll just try to figure it out on my own.**

 **If you guys have any questions, leave a review and I answer it next time.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note-Thank you for all the follows and favorites! ( and for putting up with my slow update.) This chapter is switched back to 0027, I apologize to all the 1827 fans. I also toned it down to a more casual voice, it's easier to write this way.**

Disclaimer- I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

Warning-contains light yaoi( boy x boy )

The italics in this chapter are used for many things, a different language, an emphasis on a word, or thoughts.

Well, enjoy!

* * *

 _January, year 20xx 06:21_

There were trees all around him, blocking his view. The cemented ground he stood on transformed into branches and vines. Tsuna was panting heavily and leaned against a trunk for support. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, trying to untangle his left leg. The heat pressed down on his back making it harder and harder to walk. He looked around cautiously, an orange glint in his eyes. There was a still silence, not a sound but his own breathing. He looked around for signs of human figures. " _Where?_ "

 _CRACK!_

The root beneath him broke. Ripples of dirt were pushed aside as a massive hole was formed. Tsuna held his knife steady, backing two steps as dozens of ice dolls popped out and swung their arms, dangerously close to his neck. Tsuna ducked. A few strands of hair fluttered by. He pushed himself up and ran, receiving cuts as he barely evaded their attacks. He made his way through, ignoring the foot steps he heard behind him.

The dolls were catching up, he knew it. Leaping over a large rock Tsuna made a sharp turn. From his pockets he drew four grenades. He unlocked the caps and with a deep breath-chucked them toward his chasers. The metal containers burst, sprinkling sparks as it hit the dirt. A beam of light shot into the air. Tsuna clapped his hands on his ears.

The grenades gave a deafening roar as a field of fire clawed its ways through the ice, enveloping the area and diminishing boulders to pebbles. The trees were printed with long black marks. Tsuna turned around hesitantly, still crouched behind the rock. Once he made sure that no one was following him he let out a sigh of relief, his muscles relaxing slightly. Wobbling, he got up. He didn't get far when a ponderous weight bounded him to where he was. His knife fell, landing a couple of feet away. Tsuna collapsed, his face pressed against the dry soil. There were voices approaching him.

Something inside him panicked. He needed to get up, to run. But his body laid where it was.

He looked at his weapon, struggling to extend his arms. " _Move._ " The voices were louder, closer. " _Come on!_ " His index finger twitched and he hurried to grab the handle. Tsuna touched the edge, but it was too late. The light that bathed him carved out a shadow.

" We found you Tsuna." The brunette halted. It was Enma's voice. Tsuna was sure that the red hair was standing right next to him, but he couldn't see with his face slammed.

" It's over, you lost." The leaves rustled as Enma bend down. He leaned in, reaching for the object dangling from Tsuna's neck that was held in place by a single string. Tsuna refused to look at him. Enma snatched the item and stood up. The barrier around them weakened and Tsuna sat up straight. His eyes were watery.

" Enma, you meanie! That's the 207 acorn you took from me! " He pouted and pointed accusingly at his best friend, who merely shrugged.

" You shouldn't have made it that easy then."

They were currently in the Shimon training room, preparing for their final mission at the end of the month. Most of it was adapted for Tsuna to gain battle experiences, and also to activate his flame. Ever since he agreed to stay in December everyone had been keen to teach him how to fight, defend and escape safely when needed to. Although clumsy, he managed to master the basics in weeks, showing rapid development, which went beyond the expectations. The group decided to put those skills to test with real-life simulation. Preserved acorns were given to each person, the main goal was to steal them from other players. At the end of the three hour time limit the person with the most acorns would be declared victor.

The game was supposed to be fair, but, somehow inevitably the Shimons would join forces and it'll turn into a tag of seven against one.

The status of the game was one sided.

Shimon familia to Tsuna

521 : 0

" It wasn't easy, he got out of the vines too quickly. He always runs off before I get there. Urghh. . . just stay for a while would ya?! " Koyo shouted.

" Nice reflexes Tsuna, that's the first time I seen any one throw grenades backward, and without looking too." Rauji marched up to them from a bush, apparently impressed. Julie tailed behind him, tipping his hat.

"You were like a Pegasus!" Shit. P fell from above and landed on the sand flame user. She muttered 'oops' before Julie pushed her off.

" Try not to use explosives though, they reveal your position." Enma kindly added.

" What was I supposed to do then, let them make mincemeat out of me?"

" You can use decoys, or fight head on. Considering your situation you probably could have shaken most of them off with that sharp turn. " Adelheid told him. Kaoru appeared after her with a first aid kit, setting the case on the ground.

" But.. . I'm not like you guys. All of you are so much stronger and. . . and you guys can use flames, b-but I can't."

Enma sighed. He propped himself on the rock and looked at Tsuna.

" We know that you can't use flames, that's why we're trying to activate it." He threw the acorns upwards and caught them.

" The fastest way is for you to face a life and death scenario. And that's what we got to do. Depending on the type of flame you get it might be really useful. Everyone here uses earth flames, having varieties would help."

" Are there other types of flames. . . .other than Earth flames?" Tsuna asked. A bit in disbelief. It rattled his brains trying to memorize the differences and specialties of Earth flames alone. Were there others? His stomach did an unpleasant lurch.

"Yeah, there are. Oh. But you don't have to memorize them." Enma answer, seeing the look of horror on Tsuna's face.

" Earth flames aren't really dominant in the mafia world. Outside of the family it would be uncommon. Usually flames of the sky-or so they call it, are used."

"Flames. . .of the sky?"

"Yes. There are seven types, mist, cloud, sun, rain, storm, lightning, and what it's named after, sky. Technologies revolve around those types. Box weapons for example can use the energy to release box animals with high battle capacities." He glanced at Tsuna and gave him an approving look. He tossed an acorn toward the male, who caught it and stared.

"Either way, we'll be counting on you. Kay?" Tsuna looked at Enma then back at the nut, he held it in front of his heart, replying quietly.

"Yes."There was very minimum in what he could do, but, he'll give it his best. He would not fail them.

Tsuna didn't realize that Enma was looking intently at his bleeding wound.

" But. . .you shouldn't push yourself either. You always get hurt." he murmured worriedly.

" Sorry, what was that?"

Enma dusted his pants, ignoring the fact that the brunette didn't catch what he said. It wasn't important.

" Now, let's get those injuries wrapped shall we?" He pointed at Tsuna's arms.

" Yeah, those cuts aren't going to heal by themselves, well, they do but those bandage things help prevent contamination and stuff."

"Ooh, Koyo knows a difficult word like contamination. Your vocabulary had improved." Julie faked some clapping gestures, pleased with the glare he got. The green hair gave his own retort, adjusting his glasses.

" Shut up. You creep."

* * *

Every column was empty. Here and there were cartons of eggs, a gallon of milk, twelve to thirteen pounds of raw meat, lonely stocks of celery and battered dough that was going to stink if not cook soon, but those hardly took any space in their vast refrigerator. Their spice rack was in a similar condition. Deflated pouches hung from the walls. 'With this amount of food, they might as well starve for New Years' Adelheid thought mentally. She checked a tin clock for time, unsure if the markets were opened yet.

" Adelheid-san, do you need anything? We're going out to hunt. " Tsuna's head appeared behind the door.

They were closed enough to be on first name bases. Adelheid was genuinely convinced that the previous thought intruder was nothing more than a bundle of good will in tangible form, and wouldn't cause much damage even if he attempted.

" Ah, Tsuna would you come here for a sec, you don't have to go. I have something else for you to do." She went to their dining room table and took out a pen from the bunch gathered in a coffee mug, getting a blank sheet of paper out at the same time. She scribbled the ingredients they would need. Along with extras for the future stock, plenty for seven people.

"Our fridge is cleared. Would you mind going to town and picking these up? " She handed the paper to Tsuna.

" There's a lot. Um . . is this for the feast later? " Adelheid followed his train of thought. It was a lot. More than the male could ever carry over an half an hour walk through an uneven plane.

" I'm not sure if you could take everything. So just buy as much as you can alright? "

Enma peeked from behind the door. Coat and scarf on.

"Tsuna? Are you ready? "

" Sorry. Actually I don't think I can go with you guys. I'm going to get the groceries." he said apologetically.

" Hold on, he'll go with you. Enma can carry more bags. " The ice flame user said matter-of-factly. The matter was settled. Small 'ehhhh's rang in the red hair's mind.

" What about the others? "

" They'll manage. Here I expect you two to be back before noon. " Adelheid rumpled her wallet for some cash. It was slick black, contrasting with the image of a kitten that was on one of the flaps. Tsuna reminded himself that Adelheid _was_ a girl. No wonder she liked cute things. A wad of pink Euros was stuffed in Enma's hand.

The boys gave each other an all knowing look. They didn't protest, shopping was better than running in the mountains any day.

" Stay on the main road, don't talk to suspicious people, avoid eye contact, don't bring home strays. No matter _how_ adorable they are or pitiful they look. We are _not_ keeping them." She looked like a mother with her hands on her hips and an apron tied around her waist. The duo had a habit of picking up animals, well, more like attracting. And being both soft heart would take these creatures back with them to the base.

They had no idea how much trouble those fluffy 'angels' caused.

Tracking mud into the mansion, stealing food, chewing, clawing and biting on every living thing in sight, waking up poor members of the household multiple times in the dead of night. she spent majority of her time taming howling dogs, screeching owls, hissing cats, and chasing out giant lizards that invaded her room. It was enough.

No more pets. But their puppy eye attack combination almost wavered her determination. Almost.

" Yes ma'am." They replied in monotone.

" Don't try hiding them in your rooms either. I _will_ find out. "

" Yes ma'am. "

Tsuna put on his orange coat, it had colors similar to sunflowers. He strapped on his snow boots then checked the closet for his ear muff. He was in the driveway when he heard Adelheid yelled 'don't forget your mittens Tsuna, you catch colds easily! '. He went back and got those too, it was one of the few things that belonged to him before he lost his memories. The number twenty seven was sewed on both and they remained intact when all his other clothes were ripped to pieces. He didn't give it much thought, they must have been made of strong material.

He left feeling warm and comfy. The building was glazed with snow since the temperature hadn't rise in January. It looked like vanilla frosting on an overly large cake, the sun's rays reflected through the glittering windows. The gates were a smooth silver.

The wind brushed against his cheeks and as Tsuna passed the metal bars he couldn't help but think that their house was like a palace out of a fairy-tale.

* * *

Balls of fur swarmed them when they finally reached town. A blond tabby was rubbing against Tsuna's legs hopefully, craving for attention. The brunette pat the kitten on its head and scoped her up, others in the group rushed toward him too, mewling and tugging on his pants. He tossed a glance at Enma who was having trouble standing up with rows of felines cling desperately onto his coat.

" No Tsuna. Remember what Adelheid said." Enma said firmly, but there was a faint blush on his cheeks.

" I-I know. Can we at least feed them though." Tsuna scratched the tabby behinds its ears. It was covered in dirt, but he didn't care, not when it was purring so contently to his touch.

" Um. . . " All those shining eyes fell on him. He could see their whiskers twitch and their ears drooping sadly, silently screaming ' feed us, feed us '. It didn't help that Tsuna was also making the same expression.

" Fine, we'll get them something if there's change left over. " he sighed in defeat. A gray cat nudged his hand lightly in gratitude.

After the encounter they proceeded to get the groceries at a nearby market. Enma stood by the entrance before stepping in, prying some left over strays off his shirt. The store was a crummy little thing, squeezed between two run-down apartments. It emitted a gloomy aura that scared customers away, with cracked windows and a shaky frame. A strong blend of tobacco and alcohol met their faces as they walked in. There was an old man behind the counter. He had a thick bush of mustache that looked like an upside down fan, wrinkles drowned his features. Part of his face was covered by the shadow of his bowler's hat. The lighting made him look more menacing than he should.

This was Russ, full name Ronald V. Russ. and the owner of this wrecked shop.

" _Yer better not track any of that fur into my shop! Ya hear me boys?!_ " He blew a puff of smoke at them. Tsuna coughed as he felt nicotine invade his lungs.

" _Good day to you sir. Not to worry, we'll be sure not to bring anything in. I hope your business goes well._ " Enma answered politely.

Russ eyed him suspiciously, then went back to his crumpled newspaper. He glared at them over the pages from times to times.

The store wasn't exactly well packed. There were loose bunches of vegetables in the aisles. More rotten goods in the fraction than fresh. On one of the signs that originally read **'SALE 20% OFF!** ' now spelled ' **SAL 20% OFF** ' missing the ' **E** ' part of the word and the exclamation mark. The light bulbs above them blinked, cobwebs blanketed the corners. It definitely wasn't an up-to-date market, but it was sufficient.

Given the pretense of avoiding attention, the Shimon boss couldn't just waltz into a local city market bustling with people and taped with security cameras. Here, at an insignificant shop in the outskirts of town, the red-hair really doubt that anyone was going to relate him to the mafia. Plus, the goods were astonishingly cheap, being sold by a stingy old man. Although Russ didn't sell meat the family manages by hunting in the forest, typically catching pheasants and rabbits

Enma examined an onion, checking to see if it was edible. He sniffed and pulled back. The rejected onion rolled away to join its friends.

" So what are we getting today Tsuna? " he asked. Tsuna briefly skimmed the list and pushed their rusted cart forward. It squeaked in warning.

" That's weird. We don't have the usual." His brow raised in question. Adelheid's cooking never changes much, one or two ingredients might be switched but her style was the same. Not that they were picky, but the girl's favorite method was boiling whatever at hand and serving it with a bowl of steamed rice. Which explains why their meals were constantly repeat overs.

" Do you want to start with the cabbages first?" The brunette asked his friend.

Enma nodded. The sequence didn't really matter to him. They strolled down to the cabbage section of the area to pick out the finest ones to bring home.

" Um, Enma. . . " Tsuna began after throwing some of the ball-shaped plant into the cart.

" Hm. . . . "

" I've been thinking, where does all our funds come from anyways? Since the family is in the. .t-the mafia." he lowered his voice as he finished, looking around to see if anyone heard him. Though they were the only ones there beside Russ. and an elderly lady who was between the tomato and cucumber section muttering to herself which was more of a 'bargain'.

" Well, there's more than one way, but mostly we get money and fuel from the Vongola bases. " he answered truthfully.

" You know those nights that we stay out, and don't come back until a couple days later? We were at the Vongola bases, the more smaller ones. We attacked those with our allied families to replenish our supplies. There's usually more than one in the area, so it'll last for a couple of months."

" But wouldn't our position be notice if we continue to target the same bases?" He remember when most of the family was gone and wouldn't return until after days. " So that's where they were." But it only raised more questions. Wouldn't they be discovered already? Considering the series of attacks. They would be back in days too, which meant that the Vongola bases were close by. It should be easy to piece the clues together, especially for a powerful family like the Vongola. Besides, he wonder how such a magnificent structure like their mansion could be possibly missed.

Now that he thought about it, they were never interrupted by uninvited guests. It wasn't far from town, only an half and hour walk, and to be left undisturbed for so long was strange. It was like the building was invisible.

Tsuna's brows furrowed. Nothing was making sense.

" We tend to attack at the same time over the country, the Vongola would need to aid all of their bases at the same time in case that the leading family is involved, which we are, but they never catch us. The arrangement scatters their troops. We can get away easily then, unscratched." he made sure that Tsuna was still following everything before he went on.

"Our position is safe. The mansion is behind an illusion, which keeps average citizen out as well as mafioso. If the enemy manage to break through that, we'll be all right either way. Our equipment and training room are below ground. Without evidence they probably wouldn't make a move, by the time they get approvals from the higher up, we'll be thousands of mile away." he explained smoothly like the whole matter was as simple as the fact that children loves sugar. Enma bent over and looked across the aisles curiously, as if he found something of his interest.

"O-okay. Is there another reason for us to act separately? I assume that our allied family are pretty strong if they think they can take down Vongola, so why don't we gather together and just attack the main base, wouldn't that be a lot quicker?" Tsuna saw Enma turn around and smile at him.

" We're going to invade the main base sooner or later, but only after we gather the required data. Like the Vongola, we're not exactly sure where they are. Taking out the smaller bases help cross out options. The fewer bases we have to choose from, the higher the accuracy. As for another reason why we're being so discrete, let's say that it's for preparation." There were dark shades in his crimson orbs, suggesting that there were hidden intents beneath his actions. Tsuna knew that look. It didn't match with Enma's soft features.

" Preparation?"

" We're giving them the impression that we're weak. Wouldn't you think so too, after facing an enemy that doesn't dare to perform any major advance? We've been making this war last longer than it should. The Vongola family is bound to get impatient, they'll probably be the first to strike, when they take that bait and send most of their forces out to battle-"

" They'll left be vulnerable." Tsuna finished for him, in a state of awe and realization. "It's a trick!"

If most of Vongola's forces are taken from the main base the Shimon family and their allies could temporarily overpower them. If the Vongola Decimo was successfully captured, the family would have no choice but to surrender as their boss was held hostage. If their boss was killed, then the whole Vongola family would be in chaos, not having a center to receive commands from. They would be full of holes. Either scenario would end in the Shimon's favor.

It was a brilliant plan, Tsuna admitted. But something was wrong.

He didn't know why but a gut feeling told him that the plan wasn't going to work. A chess piece was not in place yet.

" Ow! " The shorter male whined, rubbing the spot on his forehead where Enma had flicked.

" W-what was that for?! " he protested angrily, unhappy with the treatment he got.

" If you keeping frowning like that the lines on your forehead will become permanent. " The red hair teased. Tsuna stuck his tongue out, earning him a chuckle from Enma.

" I was just worried. W-what if the plan fails. . . i-it's going to hurt us really bad." This was war. Not a silly game. People **died,** because their allies sold them out, because they lost, and there was nothing that can save them. On the battlefield there was no victor, the joy of one person was exchanged with the cries of another. If the plan fails, the whole family was going to be dragged into a mess they can't get out off.

The image of an ash field stained with blood and piled with corpses of the people he loved invaded his mind. Tsuna bit his lip.

The end result was going to hurt a lot more than the bruise on his forehead.

" I made backup plans in case we fail." Enma reassured him as if reading the brunette's mind, holding onto Tsuna's hands. He saw Tsuna's face and knew that he wasn't convinced, but seemed to relax slightly at the contact.

" I'll explain them when we go back home, but don't worry about the war too much okay? The family will take care of it, and we'll make it out alive. Promise." Tsuna looked up quickly, his hand gripping onto the other in lights above them buzzed, and the elder woman shuffled around the two males. Tsuna took a deep breath then looked at Enma. The pressure that weighed on his heart vanished.

" Now, for more important business. " Enma said in an oddly serious tone.

" Do you think cats like raisins?" He turned his head back in the direction he had been staring at for the past minutes. Tsuna blinked, wondering if he heard the question correctly.

" E-excuse me?" The tension in the air dissipated almost immediately.

Enma pointed at the buckets that were hooked on the tampered walls. Packets of dried fruit laid in them. There were many types such as dried blueberries, banana, or plum, but they didn't look as appetizing as their colorful labels 'guaranteed'. There were molds growing and they were well past the expiration date. The raisins, in comparison, weren't bad. But there was a more significant factor.

A flyer was taped next to it with ' **80% OFF** ' written in sharpie.

* * *

" Tell me. What did you two do this time?" The questioned gulped, setting the plastic bags on the table. Their accuser looked lazily at them from the counter, twirling her hair. She didn't comment on how their faces instantly paled. The clock ticked ominously.

" It's just your imagination." Both of them said, waving their hands dismissively to match their statement, but Adelheid's stare didn't falter. Enma was sweating bullets and avoided the girl's heated gaze while Tsuna fidgeted nervously, poking his index finger together. In the thousands of traits they had in common, being a terrible liar was one of the obvious. She won't pursue the subject further though. It probably wasn't a major 'crime'. At most-she concluded with their unnatural behavior, they just feed a few strays.

Adelheid was unaware that she hit the marks straight on as she began to sort out the vegetables and placed them one by one on the emptied racks.

" Well, whatever." she said aloud, letting Enma and Tsuna know that they were forgiven.

A muffled noise came from the hall. Tsuna peered out, he saw Kaoru with sweat trickling down his chin, his jacket torn. He was pulling on a rope, Rauji was helping him. It seemed like they were dragging a heavy object, but Tsuna couldn't see what it was. Koyo and Shit.P were blocking his view, Julie was behind them ushering the thing to move.

" We haven't caught anything this big for months!" Rauji said excitedly despite trying to keep his voice hushed.

" Should we show it to Enma now?" Kaoru's hand looked strained, but he held his place.

" It's a surprise! Surprise!" Curiosity got the better of him and Tsuna blurted out before he could stop himself.

" What's a surprise?"

They jerked their heads toward him in alarm. From a closer point he saw that the 'object' had four legs, thin patches of hair, and floppy ears that were beating like miniature wings. " _I_ _t's alive. "_ Tsuna thought. Koyo detached himself from the group in attempts to push the brunette in the opposite direction. The gap was filled by Shit.P with her arms and legs stretched in the pre-position for a cart-wheel.

" A-Aoba-san, What are you doing?" He tried to look over the man's shoulders, but Koyo had an advantage in height.

" Tsuna, nice to see you. Want to start another game of acorn hunt?! Let's start another game, come on!"

" Wait! Aoba-san, hey! " Tsuna's struggle was useless as he was carried away like a bag of flour. Their outlines became fainter and fainter. He wondered what they wanted to sneak into the mansion. Judging from its form, it resembled an animal.

" What's with the commotion? " Enma looked puzzled at the scene. He was talking to Adelheid moments ago when he realized that Tsuna was gone, he didn't expect to see his two friends together, with Tsuna's feet off the ground-raised in the air by Koyo like a trophy. Julie's shadow went undetected as he slipped out the front door.

"Enma! " Koyo was relieved to see a distraction. He pointed to Tsuna, who was still wrestling out of the forest-flame user's grip, then back to himself.

" Nice timing, help me out would ya? Grab his arm-stop messing with my glasses! " The Shimon boss look doubtful not wanting to join the fray, but followed the command.

" So. . . what's going on? " He turned to Koyo for a response. There was a choked laugh.

" Tsuna wanted to have another acorn hunt. He challenged me and then. . . urgh . . he tackled me, yeah, he tackled me!" Enma gave him an incredulous look. Koyo inwardly face-palmed for using such a blatant lie.

" Why would he tackle you?" The red hair tried to find some logic in this.

" Um. . . " He thought hard.

". . . because he's a scrawny little thing that can't win against me in a one on one fight? " He gave the excuse a try. The one called 'scrawny' gave him a deadly glare.

Alright, it worked. His goal wasn't to provoke Tsuna but at least the attention was off of him now.

" Aoba-san. It's not nice to call someone _scrawny._ " Tsuna said the word like it had done him great injustice, the questions about the strange animal from before tossed in the back of his mind.

" Are you sure? You haven't stole an acorn from me in the 30th games we've played."

His displeasure was almost visible. A rain cloud perched over his head, flashing thunder bolts, Tsuna clenched his fists, his expression stern. For a split second Koyo felt a chill run down his spine.

" Break it." The voice startled them, having forgotten Enma was there. One of his hands was on Tsuna's wrist.

" Koyo, don't mock him, but Tsuna you shouldn't ambush him either." Koyo sniggered in the background.

" I'll go get the others then. They'll be joining I expect." Enma released his hold on the brunette and sniggering died and Koyo got in front of Enma in one swift motion, acting as a blockade.

" Um . . . you guys can go ahead. I'll go get them. " he added quickly.

The red hair nodded, seeing how Koyo was unusually eager at a chore and had promptly rushed down the hall.

" Let's go."

Tsuna watched Enma's back as he followed him to the basement. There was a set of stairs that descended to an iron door, the lamps were shaped into crescent moons and the steps creaked at the slightest movement. He looked toward the pitch black ceiling that predicted for him that they were close to the bottom. He redirected his gaze to Enma, his chest swelled with a mix of anxiety and anger. Enma didn't believe Koyo, right? He wouldn't hurt anyone in the family, and he wouldn't harm his fellows to win at a petty game. If Enma did-then how was he portrayed in _his_ mind?

" I didn't tackled him." he said weakly. Their shadows rippled.

" I know."

* * *

The basement was more enormous than the whole mansion, and the most impressive room would be the training area, but he could argue that the 'storage' room was pretty neat, too. It was filled with mysterious object, 'mafia-related', unlike its boring name. He found a robot that served tea inside it once, it poured it out from its built in kettle. Behind the iron door was a pattern laid in squares, the walls were granite-gray, Tsuna knew that it wasn't constructed with regular metal or stone. The place would be diminished within minutes if he was wrong. He saw Rauji bend beams of steel into knots with his bare hand as if he was tying straws, but even with his armor on, couldn't make a dent in the surface.

It was sound-proof, of course. If not, the explosions were going to be hard to explain to the police.

" We're making teams this time, we'll all be chasing Tsuna if we work individually." Adelheid announced.

" So we're going to divide into two teams. Team A will be lead by Enma, with Rauji, Shit.P and Tsuna. Team B will be lead by me, with Julie, Kaoru, and Koyo. Objections or comments? "

" It's my pleasure to be on the same team as you Adelheid." Julie took off his hat and bowed. She faked a cough.

" Moving on, what are going to use this time Tsuna? " His choice of weapon wasn't permanent, since he was neophyte to fighting he was in the process of determining which he favored. Swords, dynamites, knifes, daggers, guns, they didn't go well with him. Tsuna touched his chin, his eyes landed on Enma.

" Um . . .can I use glove for today? "

Did they have spares?

" I think Enma has extras. He can borrow you some. " Enma rumpled his pocket, pulling out his own red ones along with a worn pair.

" These are used for practice, they won't be damaged by ordinary flames but . . . they're not very durable." he said hesitantly. Tsuna accepted them graciously. The texture was leather-like, and there was something familiar about how it felt. Adelheid distributed a handful of acorns, Tsuna tied one on a string and hung it around his neck while he stuffed the others in his personal pouch, where he also stored grenades.

" Ready? " A rift formed between the two teams, the atmosphere was charged.

Tsuna gulped as he made fists, blood pounding in his ears.

" Start."

Kaoru's right arm was inches away from his head. Tsuna ducked. He saw Enma attack in return with a kick. Adelheid had her blade out. She made a cut, there was a burst of fire. Everything was scarlet. Enma was in the air and Adelheid jumped to reach him, she created an ice bridge. Tsuna backed away, Kaoru's knuckles made contact with the ground, making it quiver. The punches kept coming, Tsuna evaded all of them. A voice echoed in his mind. " _Right hook_." It told him. Tsuna blocked it. " _A kick, you have to jump._ " He did as told. It was as if he could read Kaoru's next move.

A long wire-like tentacle slammed Kaoru against the wall. Tsuna saw Shit.P floating, her weapon activated. It appeared as eight spider legs, two tentacles were sucked into a leaf tornado and were torn apart. Koyo emerged, his glasses thrown and replaced with his boxing gears. With a side glance, Tsuna saw Rauji. He was wrestling in quicksand. But Julie was nowhere to be seen.

Kaoru shook his head, the dizziness wore off. He broke into a run as he approached Tsuna. He had barely missed the punch when he felt his legs sunk beneath him. He looked down to see sand engulf him, gluing him to where he was. Kaoru in front of him.

There was no method to avoid this. The voice in his mind agreed.

He would have to take it at full force. Tsuna grit his teeth. Prepared for the impact, the pain, and to taste metal in his mouth.

But those things never came.

Everything played in slow motion, drained of their vibrant colors into black and white. The room began to swirl and soon drowned in darkness. It was the same place he saw in his dream. The flame was still there, burning, illuminating, and as tempting as it was since the first time he witness its beauty.

It flickered. Then rose, shaping into a human figure and cementing into a person.

The man's suit had vertical stripes that ran from his shoulders to the hem of his sleeves, he stood tall, his golden orbs penetrating the darkness. They were identical in appearance, like staring at a reflection in a mirror. The only dissimilarity was in their composure. Tsuna could tell that the man was much wiser than him, had seen, and experienced horrors he could not speak of.

Tsuna saw a twinge of loneliness in the man's eyes when he looked at him.

" Hello." he said.

" Hello." Tsuna replied. It felt weird talking to himself.

" It's been fine lately hasn't it? The Shimon familia treats you well." The man said as if he viewed the world from Tsuna's eyes, and perhaps he did.

" Of course. They're taking good care of me."

The man offered a smile.

" That's great to hear." There was nothing sinister or sarcastic in his tone. It was completely genuine. Tsuna didn't feel an ounce of fear, despite being in a hollow room with no entrance or escape, alone with a strange that shared the same face as him. He felt braver with this person, confident that he could accomplish anything.

" Erm. . ."

" Yes? " The man's eyes were locked on Tsuna's, but there was no harm. He was perfectly calm, his aura soothed Tsuna as well.

" Who are you? " Tsuna said louder than he meant it to be.

There was silence. The man didn't respond. Tsuna worried if he had said the wrong thing. His expression was unreadable, making Tsuna uneasiness worse. He heard him mutter, it went like this: I see. I should have expected this. No wonder I haven't been called for so many months.

The man's lips curved upwards, but they weren't as cheerful, trying to mask a bitterness.

" Tsunayoshi-kun." His eyes shone like jewels. Captivating.

" I am you. " he took a deep breath.

" More specifically, I am the part of you that's hid away. Your lust for power, your anger after losing someone dear, those parts you didn't want to see. . ."

" But I am also the part of you to grow under those pressures. To learn from those mistakes and to accept myself for who I am. . . "

" You rejected me once, I remember. . ."

" Because I was not who you thought you were. . . "

" Because I had ties to a society you could not forgive. And hated. . . "

" But you gave me a chance." Tsuna grasped every word. The speech had glimpses of emotion from a range of a roller coaster ride. Guilt, disappointment, sadness, approval, and a sense of belonging. The man looked at his hand and instantly a ball of flame erupted in his palm. The light was feeble but the darkness couldn't smolder it.

" You enter that society and was determined to change it. I am the product of that will." The flame shot into the air, crackling madly as it intertwined around him, roaring as if it was alive. Tsuna stared into the fire, watching the colors mingle and let the words to sink in. He understood the message. He approached the man and extended his arm, the person didn't interfere. The fire didn't stab him, not even a prickle. The tips refreshing like water as they brushed against his fingers.

Tsuna laughed. The sensation was ticklish.

" You're my flame." he said. The man simply nodded. The fire simmered and sunk low, forming a ring that surrounded them and with one last crack, faded into sparks.

" Are you going to ask me to lend you my strength? " The sparks settled on his suit as transparent dust.

" Yes. My family is in a war right now. I want to help them." he said earnestly. He had to help them, to decrease the risk of that horrible nightmare from happening. Tsuna wouldn't bear it to see his family die. They were his everything, they were the ones there for him when he cried, they were the ones to comfort him, they were the ones to celebrate the trivial joys he had and made those moments worthwhile. He wanted to protect their lives, or at the very least, to be in battle and die with them.

". . . ." The man went quiet. He seemed to be in thought, his eyes brows contorted and a frown on his face.

" Are you going to refuse me? " Tsuna whispered. His reflection shook his head, but the frown didn't leave. He held up his hand and taped Tsuna's forehead. Tsuna felt warmth spread through his body.

" But I must tell you. What you yearn for now may not be what you truly desire. Even knowing this. . .do you still want my powers? "

" Yes."

" . . . . Then show me your resolve."

The sparks spiraled into towers.

There was the vision about the ash field, the rotten corpses that stacked into hills. Adelheid, Koyo, Rauji, Julie, Shit.P and Enma. They weren't moving, blood pooled around them, their uniform dyed crimson.

He begged for them to wake up, he yelled, screamed, and sobbed until his tears dried. Still, nothing. Nothing but the ringing gunshots and the decaying remains of his family.

He won't allow this to become reality.

He felt his body heat up, his forehead was hot. Tsuna saw his reflection step back, dissolve and reappear as a flame. It flew above him and stood over him like a wave of gold, then with a steep dive-crashed into him. He felt the fire seep in, slow and steady, flowing within his veins and to his beating heart. A distant voice called.

" _It's nice to work with you again, Tsunayoshi-kun._ "

" . . . . . . "

Kaoru stopped in his track. His fist met a stream of smoke instead of flesh, for the fraction of a second he was blinded, the heels of a pair of combat boots collided harshly with his chest. He was sent backwards. Stumbling, he noticed a shadow fly in Koyo's direction. " Enma? " couldn't be, he was occupied with Adelheid. " Then who? " The ground was charred black, the concrete was molten where the quick sand had been.

The forest flame user was busy untangling himself in wire-like tentacles, oblivious to the murderous intent of his enemy drawing near. He broke free ready to counter when-

" Aoba-san." It sent shivers down his spine.

Koyo reacted in time to defend himself, he crossed his arms as a shield, Tsuna pushed forward until they reached the center of the training area. He came to a halt and loosened his grip. The boxer glanced warily at his opponent, his rhythm disrupted by the sudden intrusion. Tsuna adjusted hi gloves, one side was burnt, a few patches of the material flaked off. He turned his attention back to Koyo, and with a single step conquered the gap that separated them. A sharp jab to his ribs, Koyo ignored the pain and swung his arms. He could see the killer spots on the brunette's body, but Tsuna evaded him when he took aim.

Those amber eyes seemed to be calculating his movements.

Before he realized it, his arms were pinned to his back, he cursed as he was shoved roughly against the asphalt. Koyo imagined irritably the satisfied look on Tsuna's face as he collected his acorns.

The rest of the two teams, the game took secondary importance.

They were stunned, looking at Tsuna as if he had magically sprouted horns. He had took down Koyo single-handedly in a span of less than thirty seconds, and brilliantly performed techniques they never knew he was capable of. But the most intriguing part was the burning flame on his forehead. The flame was pure, untainted, flashing in a soft ginger, it swayed then vanished. Tsuna's orbs were back to chocolate brown.

" Did you see?! Did you see?! I did it-I activated my flame and . . " He held the acorns in triumphant.

" . . I got these from Aoba-san! " Koyo snorted, putting on his glasses.

" That was luck. You surprised me, broke my rhythm. I could have easily won."

" Aww, don't deny it Aoba-san! I won fair and square. Everyone can prove it." The bickering between them continued.

" Tsuna. Stay there for a moment, I have to show you something. Be right back." Enma interrupted in an urgent tone. He ran across the room and out the iron doors with an expression of excitement. Congratulations, complements, and analysis filled the room, with the exception of of Koyo sulking in the corner, depressed on how 'a scrawny kid had managed to defeat him' then declared to triple his training in the future. Tsuna beamed at them, his reflection from the dream was not forgotten. Enma returned minutes later, his pants dusty and his hair a mess. It seemed that he was searching for an object and had to crawl beneath shelves to get it.

He had two things. There was a box, the designs on the outside was silver shaping into branches and summer fruits. He also had a ring engraved in letters. Tsuna peeled off his gloves as Enma passed him the items.

" This is a box weapon. If you ignite your flame on the ring and feed it to the box animal, it will be released. This is a sky box, it should match your flame type." Tsuna stared at the box, feeling sorry for the animals that had to live in that crowded space. It must be rather tiny to be able to fit, but then he remembered that these were _weapons_. He had a difficult time imagining a three-inch snake causing any damage except maybe one or two venomous bites. He slid the ring on. Enma watch him expectantly.

A voice called out. " _Then show me your resolve. "_ Gold glinted in his caramel eyes.

The ring shattered.

Tsuna tried clumsily to catch the crumbled pieces, they fell like glitter.

" _Why?_ " He looked at Enma half-convinced that his friend to be just as confused. To his astonishment, Enma wasn't puzzled in the slightest. He inspected the shreds, then sighed.

" It couldn't withstand it. And I thought an A class would do it."

Tsuna didn't get to ask what an A-class ring was and why it mattered as another subject caught his interest.

" E-Enma, your ring it's-it's glowing! "

Enma looked down. His Shimon ring glowed feverishly behind its glass casing. Shocked, he stared at it with wide eyes. The red hair seemed to be doing some very fast thinking.

" Tsuna. . . " he said at last.

" Why don't you try with this? " The Shimon guardians flinched, ready to add their opinions. The ring proved the inheritance of the Shimon family, it wasn't suppose to be used by anyone else other than Enma, but Enma held out his hand which immediately silenced them. The uproar didn't happen, they swallowed their complaints. He took off the ring and gave it to Tsuna, not allowing a trace of emotion to betray him. It was radiating a sheen of blue when the brunette received it. " _Would it shatter too?_ " The question lingered in his mind.

He focused on concentrating.

Tsuna felt an electrical jolt sweep over him as he ignited his flame, it stayed as a tingling sensation at the tip of his fingers. There was a ball of orange swaying on top of the gem, dancing to an inaudible tune. He pushed it into the hole.

A white blur zoomed out from the opening.

The box hit the ground with a 'thud'.

A snowy fox was in front of his feet. It had stretched ears and a bushy tail that curled elegantly beside it, striking flames were lit on her paws. A misty ghost with yellow eyes. She glared at Tsuna who promptly scooped her up, it tail puffed like a cactus in annoyance.

" Can I keep her? I take good care of her, I promise! " Adelheid didn't reply, watching it gnaw on the male's arm. He took that as a 'yes'.

" Er. . . aren't box animals suppose to be more. . ." Rauji pursed for the exact term.

". . . intimidating? " he asked Enma. The Shimon boss shrugged. He smiled at how childish Tsuna acted, hugging the fox happily and spinning in circles.

" We'll call you Victor! "

Victor hissed then took a whiff from the air, her ears perked up. She squeezed through Tsuna's grip and darted across the room, diving under the iron doors as she picked up a scent. Tsuna chased after it, calling out 'wait!'. The family followed him between concern and amusement. The fox past the creaking stairs and the half-crescent lamps, her flames shining. She arrived at the front entrance and pawed against the wood fruitlessly, a group of mafioso behind her. Tsuna took a breath of relief. A bucket of ice was dumped in his stomach when Victor skillfully twisted the knob and camouflaged with the frost in the driveway.

A cold gust of wind met his cheeks. The temperature was considerably lower. He looked left and right, Tsuna wished he had his mittens but couldn't bother as he found his runaway pet crouching near their shed. His combat boots sunk in the snow and his socks were drenched when he reached it, wheezing and panting. Victor looked smugly at him, her tail swishing eagerly.

Tsuna raised his head, his jaw dropping at the sight.

" Is that. . . " he heard himself say.

" It is." Koyo said proudly.

It was a gigantic mud-colored block with limbs the thickness of baseball bats. Fume came out of its stout that was crammed between two ivory tusks. The beast was biting on a sturdy rope that was wrapped around its neck, bounding it to a post. The wild boar thrashed violently.

" We caught him while we were hunting, at first we were going for the usual, you know-birds and those critters. We saw something big and went after it. Thought it was a fox-oh quiet you." Koyo said to Victor. She bared her fangs at him.

" We found this guy, he resisted a lot, gave us all a couple of bruises. You have to thank Kaoru, he dragged this baby all the way from the mountain." The shy male looked away bashfully at the attention.

" Anyways. . . " Koyo drooled as he gazed idiotically at the boar.

" Think about how many pork cutlets this is! "

" I'm not cutting that up." Adelheid's statement sliced cleanly through his fantasies. His clouds of hope for having hundreds of hamburgers and sausages at dinner went poof.

"But he's a beauty! " he whined.

" Pheasant and rabbits are one thing, but I'm not cutting up boars. And that's final." She looked at the animal, her left brow twitched. There was no way that she'll go within a ten-foot radius of that thing. It didn't look too keen for her company either.

" But it's New Years, I was craving for meat. " he said dejectedly.

" We'll have meat. Seafood in fact."

There was a pause. They looked at the girl, wondering if she concealed the information on purpose to bait them.

" Seafood? "

" Fish?"

"Shrimp? "

"Crab? "

" _Lobster?_ " Enma's eyes sparkled.

"Would you like me to help? " Tsuna offered to Adelheid. For an occasion like this he expected soups and pastries. It'll be too much to handle for her alone. He watched them cheer in the background.

" Hm. . . no, I was considering having nabe for dinner."

" _Ah._ " Victor was tugging playfully on the boar's tail. " _So she was going to boil it._ " Tsuna thought. He guess he'll inform the family later.

Tsuna picked Victor up, paying no mind to the stains on his shirt as the fox thumped it feet.

He was looking forward to it, as it was one of the few events of their daily life before the final mission. Tsuna planned to enjoy himself to the fullest. Who know when they'll be back. He had his doubts, but with everyone here the best thing to do was to savor these times.

" _No regrets._ " The distant voice called. It echoed in his mind.

" No regrets." Tsuna repeated.

He would not fail them.

* * *

 **Author's note-'nabe' mean hot pot, it's an Asian dish where you have a soup base and you boil different food in the the pot, vegetables and meat are common, but there's also 'nabe in the dark' with a bunch of unusual ingredients. ( For those readers that don't know )**

 **I skipped straight to New Years because with the pace I'm updating, I seriously doubt I'm going to make it in time for the holidays. The next chapter will still be about the New Years, I'm trying to fuse some important concepts in, they have to show up somewhere.**

 **The last part was kind of rushed. I know. I had something that I needed to do, but I wanted to update before pouring all my energy on something else.**


	6. Chapter 5-5

**Author's note- I can't believe that the last time I updated was in August. Once again, I am terribly sorry for updating as such a pace, but after school started I was bombarded with essays and projects. I simply couldn't find time to finish a whole chapter.**

 **When Thanksgiving break came around, I found some free time so I wrote a short piece titled 'Heart' and planed to start writing for this story again in the week after-big mistake. The testing came around and that's how I'm in this situation right now. I'm using this 'bonus' chapter as sort of a way to sent out a notification. Since the site specifically said that you can't make a chapter for just an author's note, and I doubt people really look at my profile, I decided to write something so I can tag** **this along.**

 **I'll be updating before my winter break is over. ( Around a week and a half or so.) Or at least that's what I hope. I'll do my best.**

 **I also want to finally answer a review from chapter 5. NaruShika-Forever, yes, Tsuna is going to fight with his own family. That's one of the big thrills that I get out of writing this story. I wanted Tsuna's flame to be a mentor in some sort, as someone who Tsuna can rely on when things turn for the worse, but I won't spoil anything right now. ( Thanks for waiting so patiently for a reply. )**

 **This chapter takes place between chapter 4 and 5, I wanted to make a note of that since I am going slightly out of chronological order.**

Disclaimer-I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

There's no warning this time, I don't think there's significant yaoi or hints in this.

Well, merry Christmas and enjoy!

* * *

 _December, Year 20xx 00:13_

Enma stifled a yawn as the day's toll finally began to take effect on him. He glanced at his watch before removing his glasses, his surroundings blurred as he surveys his office, but the stacks of paper work spread across his desk had seemed to become more apparent-much to his disappointment. It was past midnight, thirteen minutes past midnight the two arrows informed him, but the Shimon boss could care less. His mind drifted to his beloved bed, the fluffy pillows, the layered blankets, and the mattress that felt like a sewn patch work of clouds against his strained back.

The tired male leaned into his chair, and decided that the lack of sleep caught up to him when he found himself imagining being carried by a herd of sheep, and actually liking the experience.

He needed coffee.

Enma folded his wide-rim spectacle and placed it on his closed laptop. His notebook that laid next to it, elevated by manila folders, warned him not to go.

' **Finish files by three, 12/xx/xx** ' It even made a clear point by underlining the text until the paper ripped. His internal debate dispersed quickly.

If seeing the words flash neon wasn't an indicator that a break was truly vital for his physical and mental health, Enma didn't know what was.

* * *

He met an odd sight in front of the kitchen door. A yellow square of light contrasted sharply with the darkness that covered the floor, suggesting that someone besides him was still awake at this dreadful hour. Adelheid crouched inches away from the borders of the illuminated shape. Her hand steadied her body as she attempts to look in without losing her balance. Glee was practically written over her face.

Now, _this_ was strange. Did her ordered package of the brand new weight training machine come in early?

"Adelheid. . . what are you doing?" Enma asked quietly. Despite the silliness of the situation, he felt that a serious approach was more appropriate. It helped mask his confusion too.

"Hiding."

"I see. . ."

"You'll understand soon." She answered, gesturing to the room with a jab of her thumb. Enma tilted his head. What would make even Adelheid hide? The ice queen could easily rival the strength of a thousand soldiers. What more, she seems to be enjoying her position-shamelessly staring at who ever the person was and their companions.

He peeked inside with a mix of curiosity and mild suspicion.

"Aoba-san, stop moving! I need to put one more of these on you."

The forest flame user's face was dyed in an abnormal shade of crimson. Enma didn't know that it was humanly possible for someone to get so red. He wore a track suit that had stripes purposely painted on to make the fabric resemble the bark of a tree. Tiny bulbs of LED lights hung from his neck like an over-large necklace, part of it tangled downed to his waist. Exaggerated ornaments of angels, globes, and stars dangled loosely, starting from his shoulders until the tip of his sleeves. His hair was tied with ribbons of an array of colors. A cerulean bow stuck lopsided in the nest of green hair.

"No, I shouldn't have agreed to this. And you are not putting another on of those in my hair-hey! Are you even listening?!" Embarrassment and frustration seeped through his voice like a transparent yolk from a broken egg.

Tsuna was on his tip toes, struggling to keep the accessories from being taken off by a very flustered male.

In the background, Enma noticed that his family members eyeing the scene with interest, much like Adelheid. Julie was clutching his stomach while emitting a bunch of strangled noises. He sounded like he was choking, but Enma knew that he was just laughing too hard for his lungs to handle. His hat fell off when its master chose to point at the duo.

Rauji was thinking hared for advice. He muttered something about 'winter' and 'glitter' then paused. Several considerations later he walked toward the cabinet and grabbed a bag of flour. Ornaments and bobby pins filled Kaoru's arms. There were identical patterns in the pile, and a rather cute one of Snoopy wearing a Santa outfit.

Shit. P was on the sofa, flashing one of her expensive gadgets. Enma assumed that she was taking pictures.

" Hm. . . something's missing." Tsuna stated, after successfully convincing Koyo to stay still. His brows narrowed as he critiqued his design. With a snap of his fingers, Tsuna grinned. His eyes sparkling like an innocent child.

" We need snow!"

The colors drained rapidly from Koyo's skin. He gaped at the brunette with disbelief, who continued to smile as if all his wishes had came true.

Enma felt pity for his friend.

" You know that there's no way in hell that I'll play along smoothly with this right?" Koyo reasoned, backing up. Rauji was holding that bag _way_ too close to him, and Julie hasn't looked more happy in years.

"Yes. " Tsuna gave a nod.

"And you're not going to give up."

"Also yes."

An audible gulp.

". . Alright then."

There was a loud crash as glass shattered, the pans toppled from the shelves, clinking as they went, White enveloped the kitchen. On top of the powders an arm or leg would appear ever so often, accompanied by a shout or a curse from that night's victim.

Enma stepped away slowly. He didn't bother telling Adelheid not to get involved, it would be useless since the black haired girl had already jumped into the fray, quite pleased with the outcome.

Enma shook his head at his family's unpredictable tactic. He returned to his office with a sign.

Coffee can wait until tomorrow.

Halfway down the hall he heard another crash. He made a mental note to buy new plates.


	7. Chapter 6

**Author's notes- I'm back! Thank you everyone for being so patient with me, and for the favorites and follows. They were a big motivation that kept me writing despite my horrendously packed schedule. I also sincerely apologize for not keeping that promise in the bonus chapter, to update before my winter break was over. I caught a cold, and there were midterms, then in the beginning of February I had my competition, but those are just excuses. I still should have updated. The good news is, now I have more free time, and that means faster updates. ( Or likely, who knows what school will throw at me. )**

Disclaimer-I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn

Warning-Light yaoi (boy x boy) You have to squint to see it, but it's there.

Well, enjoy!

* * *

 _January, year 20xx 20:59_

Tsuna gently shook the pan by its handle. Steam rushed toward his face as he stirred the complicated concoction with a spatula, with his knee he twisted the knob until only the cyan section of the flame remained. He watched the substance bubble and sprinkled the last pinch of salt before scooping the finished dish into a bowl. A chunk of tomato was stabbed with a fork, and when he decided that the vegetables were tender enough he turned the stove completely off. The edges were brunt where the two metals met.

He untied the knot behind his neck. The apron that was wrapped around his waist limped, finding its way into his arms. He folded the cloth into a block and did a haste check on his appearance.

Walking into a formal gathering with flour smeared on his noses didn't seem very polite. He was in a suit too, but if he had to answer truthfully, he doubt the family would mind even if he had raw eggs dripping from his hair. The material was all black except for a single orange line that ran from his left shoulder down to the cuff. A golden tie fell on top of his revealed shirt, on the bottom of the triangle was an outline of a flower. The petals were slanted to give the impression of a blooming. Judging from the arrangement, it was likely a jasmine. He straightened his attire, and for the fifteenth time fumbled with the buttons to make sure they were connected correctly.

" Hey . . ." Adelheid started, slapping the male encouragingly in the back. " There's no need to be so tensed."

Tsuna lowered his shoulders, which were hunched from the sudden impact and scratched his cheek timidly.

" It just habit I think, and I'm not use to wearing these. Maybe that's why I'm so nervous." He rotated his wrist. The lush fabric was reserved for rare occasions-definitely not something he brings out on a daily basis.

"You look fine to me."

" You think so?" He asked, doing a spin.

" I do." She scooped the bowl from the counter.

Her dress was navy blue, lace covered her shoulders, leaving them practically bare. There was a cut starting a few inches above her knees, but a crises-cross of ribbons hid her skin. Tsuna thought she looked lovely. A sloppy soup stain was better to be avoided.

The girl didn't need words to decode the message behind Tsuna's pregnant stare.

"Oh, it's the least I can do." She replied, waving her hand dismissively. " You've done pretty much all the cooking, and this event's specifically for you anyways."

" Specifically for me?"

He didn't understand.

"You'll see."

She approached the archway that separated the dining table from the kitchen. Tsuna followed. The crowd of noises became more evident as they went closer. A mingling of clanking plates and utensils with friendly conversations.

Plastic containers were centered in the middle of the table, within them were clusters of biscuits, roasted mini sausages and a gleaming loaf of buttered bread. The main dishes were next to them, raw but seasoned and prepared to be boiled, seafood, and typical mountain plants like cabbages, carrots, and mushrooms, with the exception of the soup placed by Adelheid seconds later. Bits of crab meat floated to the top of the cardinal liquid.

Koyo and Julie were filling the air with irrelevant insults. Shit.P sat between the squabble and was examining her hair, now dyed an explosive purple. She tugged on a loose strand. Her abstract mug rolled away from her as one of her seat partners stood up abruptly. Kaoru caught it before it reached the floor, rescuing the vassal from becoming another one of Victor's toys. The fox was somewhere between the chairs, under the shadows for a nap. Tsuna was extra careful not to step on Victor's tail as he slipped into an empty seat next to Rauji, who was busy speaking enthusiastically. Enma nodded once in a while to show that he was listening. Adelheid sat beside him, well manner with the grace of a proper lady. The hems of her gown flowed like fluid lice pillars.

The Shimon boss waited until his guardians finished their end sentences and tasks.

He cleared his throat. The effect was immediate.

As their voices died down, only his was audible. He spoke softly. A glass of white Zinfandel in hand as he rose.

" Good evening. It has been a troubling year with this tiresome war demanding our attentions. Our ordinary lives have much to mend to, but it is for a invaluable reason. To bring an end to the detestable Vongola." The red hair's brows narrowed at the mention of their enemy familia, indicating his distaste.

" But that is not why we are gathered here today. We are here to celebrate the New Years, a time of opportunity. I hope we can enjoy ourselves at this moment and rest well for the final battle."

Standing with their arms out stretched, they tipped their glass until the rims touched.

" But before we drink I would like to make an announcement."

 _" Oh? "_ Tsuna thought. The pair of crimson orbs were on him. The brunette gulped nervously in response.

" Tsuna. You have been with us for the past months. We disregard your history. You are one of our own, sharing our pain, hatred and happiness without prejudice. An official consent from us was not need, but in respect to you I thought we should ask for your permission." He gave a tranquil smile.

" Won't you let us give you a new home? Join the Shimon Family? "

Tsuna blinked. He glanced around. In the room were familiar faces displaying acceptance. No opponents to the proposal, inviting a stranger into their private circle.

" of course. "

His eager voice could have been mistaken for someone else's. The confidence so unlike him.

Enma finished his speech with the sound of clinking glass.

"Cheers."

Tsuna drowned his portion. A scorching sensation took over the roof of his mouth and as he swallowed he felt the fizzling go down his throat. Alcohol wasn't his favorite. The male preferred juice over carbonated drinks or sparkling wine. Yet, as he grabbed the bottle to pour himself an additional cup, he decided that the intoxicating beverage tasted exceptionally sweet.

It helped the uneasiness thumping on his heart fade a tad.

* * *

The entering breeze stole his warmth as he stripped off his expensive garment for a casual jacket. Tsuna hopped on a stool and hooked the latch beneath the glass panels. With the zipper to his neck and the sleeves embracing his knuckles, the cold needle air still managed to break through his cotton barriers, its touches were microscopic bites. The male rubbed his palms together forcefully, in hope of generating friction and in return-some precious heat.

Victor was on his bed, cuddled into a ball. A blob of snow in a mountain of blankets. He smoothed her fur as he lied down beside her, petting the fox from its bent ears to her puffed tail, her flames were almost transparent, and those sharp orbs had lost their intensity. There were no hostile growls as he continued. Tsuna knew that the box weapon was too tired to protest, and her stomach too full to get up. Her scrunched nose was a lazy protest.

When her eyes finally closed and he felt the creature's body rise and fall in steady beats, Tsuna withdrew his hand, but not before tracing his fingers gently over the small bump on her back. A tug on his lips.

He turned to stare at the grayish and fading paint on the ceiling. Bare and peeling, patched repeatedly.

Just like him.

His mouth formed a straight line at the intruding thought. He shoved a pillow out of the way as he got up.

The question nagged him the whole day. In the midst of excitement and chores Tsuna forced himself to ignore it, an itch that marked his skin. It was at dusk's arrival when it consumed him. The urge to confront it was much stronger now that he's alone, free from the fear of someone suspecting his worried expression behind that cheerful facade. It shouldn't be this hard. Really, he didn't have to do anything to answer it-simply a declaration to himself, to forget. To move on.

No one asked to borrow his limbs or a couple healthy pints of blood, but as his mitten winked to him from across the room, he thought someone might as well have.

Those belonged in the trash. Not lying neatly on a desk, washed regularly, and treasured.

He could never toss them.

Nor could he abandon the search for his lost memories to snuggle in the new-found comfort.

Regardless of how secured he was in the family, how fictional his doubts seemed, or how convincing Enma's voice sounded, like the first time they met inside the tiny medical room. The sheets so clear. The air would have tasted bland if he bit into it. And that painful throb in his head reminding him that his place wasn't there. It wasn't his home. Even if it did become his home, there was no guarantee that he wouldn't lose it again.

His steps were awfully heavy. Tsuna blinked when he realized that he had walked in front of his makeshift table, cardboard boxes as legs, without meaning to. His fingers laced between the gaps of the mittens absent-mindlessly. Twenty-seven was a random number to him. It wasn't suppose to be. The unfamiliarity scared him, but why would it matter?

He was a Shimon. Though the others didn't comment on his troubling amnesia issue, he felt a need to make a decision, because if he didn't, still clinging onto the remains of an uncertain past.

Wouldn't that be betrayal?

Tsuna gripped the material, crumpling it into a ball. He almost apologized at the amount of force he put into that one squeeze, but then remembered that they were inanimate objects incapable of telling the difference in pressure. Their crinkles stretched into creases as he slide the them on. A weak breath filtered his lungs, his chest sunk inward.

He tilt his head upward to the ceiling at the crust of the fractured paint, where at one time, he believed, was a whole piece that wasn't split like fragmented islands.

 _I want to see him._

" So, what would you like to talk about? "

Shelves of uneven books encircled him, their colorful spines dulled by the erosion of time. Through the cracks he saw those burning eyes. Crisp, gold autumn leaves with a metallic luster. The owner of them made his way steadily toward the brunette.

" I assume that I'm unconscious again. . . " Tsuna said unfazed. There was no danger here, and quite frankly he welcomed a distraction. A formal work area settled in the back. A bean bag chair slouched opposing it, the lemon color in strips.

" You've gotten used to this." Came the reply.

" Well, I just saw you this morning. I don't freak out _that_ easily." Tsuna pouted. His reflection smiled, always understanding. Not at all the personification of evil and harsh reality like he claimed he was.

" Shall I make some tea? " A door materialized where one of the shelves had been. An odd sight, considering that there were no support for the frame, but it was far too down his list of things to care. So when the other entered into a checkered lobby that should have been empty air, and the whistling of a tea kettle become surprisingly real, he didn't question his sanity or if his senses failed him and flopped gladly into the over sized bean. A sea of marshmallows submerged him.

He wanted to stay there forever.

" If you would like to rest, I suggest returning to your world. We can talk tomorrow." Tsuna shook his head. He raised himself to receive the cup with weary determination.

But he wanted an answer more.

After almost choking on his drink, and thanking his flame for a napkin, he started with a light conversation to avert the attention from his growing blush.

" You've changed your clothes."

His reflection held his arms up at the comment, clueless to how his suit had miraculously transformed into a military uniform.

" So I did."

" I see that you changed the interior too. " Tsuna blew at the surface of his drink, taking quick sips. The caffeine was doing its job alright.

" Do you like it? It seems to change according to your feelings. I was surprised when these suddenly sprouted." The man chuckled, gesturing vaguely to the tall racks. Tsuna stayed quiet, taking in the thickness of each titles and the wide range of their subjects, their pages were nicked and soiled. Someone had been searching through them in a desperate manner.

" I wonder why these appeared? . . " He heard his reflection ask. Tsuna didn't turn his head, knowing full well that the piercing gaze was on him. He refused to meet it, and instead looked at the bottom of the minuscule lake he had in his hands.

" . . . So what would you like to talk about? "

" I. . before the amnesia, what sort of person was I? " Tsuna asked reluctantly, not able to articulate the swirls of emotions.

" Generous, grateful, worrisome, and forgiving, not much different than you are now."

" And. . did I have any friends? What were my parents like? Did I have a job-what occupation was it?" He tried again.

" You had friends, many of them who are loyal to you. Your mother was a caring Japanese woman. She gave you all the love she could to make up for your father's absence, due to his work. As for your occupation. . . "

His reflection paused.

". . I guess for the correct classification, you were a business man." He lean on his locked fingers, watching Tsuna's features twist into disappointment.

" That's it?" He questioned weakly, pretending to study that drifting petals in his cup. The man didn't lie. This was what he wanted, but it was dry, depth-less facts, parts were omitted from the context. The irritation under his skin didn't go away.

What did he expect to hear?

" Yes."

Tsuna pushed himself up with his arms, finally meeting the gaze directed toward him.

" This isn't it." He grit through his teeth. So much venom in his tone, so much spite. A spoiled child's. He hated it. Those eyes stared straight into his. They've hardened with resolve.

" This can't be it. " Tsuna repeated, feeling lost, his tone softer.

" Then what would you like to know? Names? Numbers? Dates? " The other asked coldly.

It was the first time the man had spoke to him like this. Tsuna fell back into his chair, his mind a desert. The cushion cradled him. Other wise he would have collapsed.

"Tsunayoshi, you have an answer." His reflection said. He was back to normal, taking on the mentor's role, forcing him to see the truth he avoided.

" You can't deny it. Why won't you accept this?

" I can't."

The books were gone, so was the chair that kept him up. He barely stood on his feet. The needle air prickled his skin, the same fragmented paint towered over him, scattered islands. Tsuna lowered his head.

" I just can't"

Sparks of gold melted within his caramel orbs.

The mittens he wore had morphed into durable leather. The sapphire gem glowed lively, lending its metal casting a milky sheen. The symbols were punctuated, an X-shaped blocked the words, but it was inevitable. The black ink was impossible to miss with the bright background.

 **VONGOLA**

The simple word crushed him.

He looked at them like filthy rags.

Why? Deep down, he must of knew. His brain warned him, countless times, that something was wrong. Out of every group he could have belonged to, it had to be Vongola. The chance was less than a millionth, but he was still the winner of the unlucky lottery. He could laugh at his own situation now. How ironic it was. His past family was the one he was going to destroy.

" Tsuna? "

His eyes was back to their original chocolate brown by the time he had stuffed the evidence in his pocket, but he didn't turn around, afraid that the red hair would recognize his guilty expression. The dim lighting would have masked his frown either way.

" Y-yes?"

He hoped Enma didn't notice, stuttering had always been a hint to his nervousness.

" I came to tell you that we're leaving tomorrow. Get some rest. It'll be a long journey."

Oh Enma. If only he knew. It was tempting to tell him, that the stranger who invaded their lives was indeed an enemy after all.

" Good night."

There was a bitter taste when the Shimon boss left.

When Tsuna reached his bed, he buried his face inside his knees. Victor tunneled under the blankets, not even a twitch when her tail got stuck in the closed space. The fox knelt down next to him, unsure of what to do. She climbed into his lap, rested her front paws on his chest and licked his cheeks.

There were no tears.

He didn't know _what_ he actually felt anymore. Or if he could still feel anything at all.

* * *

 **Author's note-So, the big realization happened in this chapter. There needed to be progress and from here on, the pace is going to speed up. I'll be doing days instead of months to indicate the time.**

 **I believe that with hyper institution, Tsuna should be able to at least sense that becoming a Shimon was dangerous. Especially after activating his flame and hearing the name mentioned so many times.** **Second, Tsuna realizes that he's a part of the Vongola family, but not Vongola Decimo, and it doesn't mean that he'll return to Vongola. It's his choice, ultimately. His flame was acting as a guide.**

 **If you didn't understand the whole ramble I put in, in short it was about Tsuna knowing he's a Vongola after meeting his flame ( hyper institution ), but was unwilling to face it, so he kept on denying the truth and his Hyper-dying-will self forced him to accept it. I'm not sure if I convey the message through in the story, but I didn't want it to disturpt the plot development.**

 **Okay. I'll try to start the next chapter soon, further update status are on my profile page.**


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